Obama Pardons 9, Including 'Coin Mutilator'

They're the first pardons (of humans) in his presidency
By Eiric Baardsen,  Newser User
Posted Dec 3, 2010 6:34 PM CST Posted Dec 3, 2010 6:34 PM CST
Promoted on Newser Dec 3, 2010 7:20 PM CST
Obama Pardons 9, Coin Mutilator Among Them!
President Obama pardons humans, too.   (AP)

Proving his mercy isn’t limited to Thanksgiving turkeys, President Obama exercised his pardon power for the first time today to erase the criminal pasts of nine individuals convicted of various crimes, some dating as far back as the 1960s. The most unusual case appeared to be that of a man sentenced to one year of probation and a $20 fine for mutilating coins in North Carolina in 1963, reports the Dow Jones news wire via Wall Street Journal.

The White House didn't explain that one or any of the others, though AP notes it's a federal offense to deface or otherwise tamper with federal currency. (AP also has a full list of the nine here.) Other offenses included drug possession and counterfeiting. None of the names are well-known.
(More President Obama stories.)

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