Biden announces first pardons and commutations of his presidency

President Joe Biden announced on Tuesday morning three individuals were granted pardons and 75 received commutations of their sentences. The president also granted clemency to 78 people, all convicted of low-level or non-violent crimes.

One of the pardons was granted to Abraham Bolden Sr., a Secret Service agent from the time of President John F. Kennedy. Bolden was convicted of bribery after attempting to sell a copy of an agency file. The other two pardons were for two people sentenced on drug-related charges but who have become pillars in their communities.

This is the first time Biden has exercised his constitutional clemency powers since taking office as president. Many of those granted commutations were convicted years ago.

The announcement of the pardons coincides with the launch of a series of training and job reinsertion programs for people who have been incarcerated or recently released from prison.

Abraham Bolden Sr., former Secret Service Agent

Abraham Bolden Sr., one of three individuals to receive a pardon from President Biden, is an 86-year-old former U.S. Secret Service agent and was the first black person to serve on a presidential detail.

Bolden was accused of attempting to sell a copy of a Secret Service file in 1964 and maintained his innocence during his first trial, which resulted in a split jury.

The former agent argued that he was being punished because he exposed "unprofessional and racist" behavior within the Secret Service. He received a six-year sentence, which ended in the late 1960s, according to officials who provided details about Biden's actions on Monday.

After his conviction in a second trial, key witnesses admitted to lying at the request of the prosecution. Bolden, who was denied a retrial, spent several years in federal prison.

Biden granted another pardon to Betty Jo Bogans, 51, who in 1998 was convicted in Texas of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine after attempting to transport the drug for her boyfriend and his accomplice. Bogans received a seven-year sentence.

The last pardon was granted to Dexter Jackson, 52, convicted in 2002 of using his business to help facilitate the distribution of marijuana. Although Jackson never distributed drugs, he allowed marijuana dealers to use his pool hall to distribute marijuana.

Jackson pleaded guilty and served time in prison. Since his release, he has operated a cell phone repair service and has hired high school students through a program that provides job opportunities for young people, White House officials said.