CLEMENCY

Obama Pardons 8 Criminals

Alligator-skin salesman, drug dealers, and more.

President Obama exercised his pardoning power Friday, freeing drug dealers, distributors of unauthorized satellite cable-TV networks, and a man who was convicted of selling illegal American alligator hides from prison or parole. Randy Eugene Dyer was the oldest case, convicted on conspiracy charges while attempting to sneak a substantial amount of marijuana through U.S. Customs in 1975. The alligator offender—Bobby Gerald Wilson from Southerton, South Carolina—was arrested in 1985 and sentenced to three and a half months in prison, five years of probation, and 500 hours of community service. Three of the eight individuals' crimes involved both conspiracy and drug distribution. This is the second time Obama has granted pardons since entering office.