Obama grants clemency to Arizona man convicted of marijuana possession
Dec 19, 2016, 2:14 PM | Updated: Dec 20, 2016, 7:23 am
President Barack Obama speaks during a news conference in the briefing room of the White House in Washington, Friday, Dec. 16, 2016. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
PHOENIX — President Barack Obama granted clemency to an Arizona man convicted of marijuana possession on Monday, according to White House officials.
Angel Garcia-Bercovich was one of the 231 individuals granted commutations or pardons on Monday, a record-setting number for a president.
On April 7, 2008, Garcia-Bercovich was found guilty of marijuana possession with the intent to distribute after officers discovered he picked up several shipments containing hundreds of pounds of marijuana. He was sentenced to 360 months in prison and eight years of supervised release.
With the commutation, Garcia-Bercovich will be released from prison on Dec. 19, 2018 and will be required to enroll in a drug treatment program.
Monday’s acts of clemency were the most granted in a single day by a president, bringing Obama’s total commutations to 1,176. Garcia-Bercovich has been the only Arizona resident granted clemency by Obama so far.
