The nonprofit leader supports at-risk New Orleans youth. A social worker promotes animals. A counselor and recovery coach who volunteers for organizations that fight sexual abuse and domestic violence.
They are among the nearly 1,540 people who were given their sentences or pardoned by President Joe Biden on Thursday in what was the largest single day of clemency in modern history.
But not everyone was pleased with Biden’s decisions. A Republican state senator said the transformation of a woman who stole $54 million in a small town in Illinois was “a slap in the face” to residents.
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Here are some of their stories:
TRYNITHA FULTON, 46, OF NEW ORLEANS
Fulton was acquitted after pleading guilty to participating in a payroll fraud scheme while working as a New Orleans middle school teacher in the early 2000s. He was convicted and sentenced to three years of probation in 2008.
Fulton, who has two children and works as an elementary school teacher, said that for years she had lived with “a sense of shame and embarrassment” about the criminal conviction.
Although he graduated with a master’s degree in educational leadership in 2017, Fulton felt that his criminal record prevented him from applying for the top positions he thought he could hold.
“Faith acted as a mental barrier for me, limiting my ability to live life to the fullest,” Fulton said.
Nearly 10 years after he first applied for a presidential pardon, Fulton this week received a phone call informing him that he had been granted one. “It was a surprise, I wasn’t expecting the call,” Fulton said, adding that the waiver will allow him to pursue job opportunities.
A White House press release praised Fulton as “a person who goes above and beyond in his community.” For years, Fulton has helped lead a nonprofit that supports at-risk New Orleans youth with hot meals, clothing and shelter and mental health referrals.
STEVON DOYLE, 47, OF SANTAQUIN, UTAH
Doyle applied for parole six years ago. It had been so long that he had almost forgotten about it – until Wednesday.
“I was shocked,” Doyle said of the call he received from the Justice Department’s clemency attorney. “And an honor.”
Doyle, a former meth addict, had pleaded guilty to drug possession and attempted forgery charges when he was 24. He served more than two years in state and federal prisons.
Released in 2006, Doyle is determined to stay clean. She started a family, got bachelor’s and master’s degrees and now works as a social worker with a health center.
Doyle applied for parole in 2018 and heard nothing until 2020, when the FBI arrived – and the vetting began.
“They talked to my boss, my boss’s boss, they talked to my mother’s boss, they called my doctors,” said Doyle. “It’s just that anyone who had any relationship with me in the last 20 years has met.”
After the examination was completed, he would have to wait some more: four years, it turned out.
“I just want people to know they are in the poverty of addiction, for families to know that if they have someone in their family who is an addict, there is hope,” Doyle said Thursday. “This has brought great joy to me and my family and is just a continuation of my recovery.”
He has five children and three grandchildren, volunteers in his community, takes care of animals and competes in roller derby.
RITA CRUNDWELL, 71, OF DIXON, ILLINOIS
Crundwell was sentenced to more than 19 years in prison in 2013 for embezzling $54 million over two decades while in charge of a Dixon, Illinois, bank.
He was released to a halfway house program in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic before moving to prison. Biden’s commutation frees Crundwell from any restrictions.
Paul Gaziano, the attorney who represented Crundwell in federal court, declined to comment Thursday.
Dixon Mayor Glen Hughes said he believes the town may be upset, and perhaps angry, that Biden would grant Crundwell clemency. Republican state Sen. Andrew Chesney said what Biden did was “nothing short of a slap in the face to the people of Dixon.”
Dixon, best known as the childhood home of President Ronald Reagan, sued auditors and the bank after Crundwell’s fraud was revealed and found $40 million in residential properties.
Crundwell, who was a horse breeder, told a judge in 2020 that more than $15 million was paid from the sale of his horses and other goods.
“I will do everything I can to make up for my mistakes,” he told the judge in a handwritten letter detailing various health problems. “I took responsibility for my actions from day one.”
BRANDON CASROOFLAY, 49, OF ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA
Castroflay was pardoned after pleading guilty to non-violent, drug-related charges at age 21, the White House said.
After serving his sentence, Castroflay continued his career in the US Army and went on to serve as an enlisted man for both the Army and Air Force, receiving numerous awards.
He took night classes to earn a bachelor’s degree while working full time.
Mr. Castroflay volunteers at several organizations that support the families of Gold Star and injured service members. He was described as hardworking, dedicated and loyal by those who knew him.
SHANNAN FAULKNER, 56, OF MULDROW, OKLAHOMA
Faulkner was pardoned after pleading guilty to drug addiction and serving his sentence, the White House said.
Since then, Faulkner has continued her education and now works as a counselor and recovery coach with traumatized and disabled women.
Faulkner also volunteers with organizations dedicated to preventing sexual abuse and domestic violence, as well as local charities.
His colleagues testify to his inspirational nature, his integrity and the incredible impact he makes on the lives of those he helps.
TERENCE JACKSON, 36, OF SEATTLE
Terence Jackson of Seattle has been pardoned after pleading guilty to drug abuse at the age of 23.
Had Jackson been convicted under current law and sentencing procedures, he would have received a shorter sentence, the White House said.
In the years since his release, Jackson has worked in the legal industry and is pursuing a degree while working full-time.
Jackson also volunteered, including as a barber for needy children. He is described by those who know him as a loyal and caring person and as someone who always tries to help others.
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Contributing reporters Jack Brook in New Orleans, Ed White in Detroit, Mead Gruver in Cheyenne, Wyo., and Lisa Baumann in Bellingham, Wash., contributed to this report.