Home WebMail Friday, November 1, 2024, 06:25 AM | Calgary | -3.8°C | Regions Advertise Login | Our platform is in maintenance mode. Some URLs may not be available. |
Posted: 2023-01-14T21:37:38Z | Updated: 2023-01-14T21:37:38Z

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) Rapper Meek Mill, who spent most of his adult life on probation following a teenage arrest, celebrated the latest twist in his legal case Friday after he was pardoned by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf.

I got pardoned today, the 35-year-old rapper born Robert Williams tweeted, noting he has come a long way.

Under a photo of the pardon on Instagram, the Philadelphia rapper-turned-entrepreneur, who has been active in criminal justice reform for years, vowed to keep doing more for his community.

Wolf signed his final 369 pardons this week, adding to his Pennsylvania record of number of pardons granted since he took office in 2015. Williams was pardoned of gun and drug charges.

Your Support Has Never Been More Critical

Other news outlets have retreated behind paywalls. At HuffPost, we believe journalism should be free for everyone.

Would you help us provide essential information to our readers during this critical time? We can't do it without you.

You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you.

Whether you give once or many more times, we appreciate your contribution to keeping our journalism free for all.

You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you.

Whether you give just one more time or sign up again to contribute regularly, we appreciate you playing a part in keeping our journalism free for all.

Support HuffPost

At a 2008 trial, a judge found Williams guilty of drug and gun charges and sentenced him to about one to two years in jail followed by 10 years of probation.

The case came to a head in 2017, when the judge sentenced Williams to two to four years in prison for violating probation, citing a failed drug test, failure to comply with an order restricting his travel and two unrelated arrests. The judge issued the ruling despite a prosecutor and a probation officer recommending that Williams not be incarcerated.

Williams spent months in prison before he was released, and a Pennsylvania appeals court overturned his conviction in 2019 because new evidence undermined the credibility of the arresting officer. The next month, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge in a deal that resolved the 2007 arrest.