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Trump grants 73 pardons, including Greg Reyes and Anthony Levandowski

The soon-to-be ex-President also pardoned Lil Wayne and commuted 70 sentences.

Sam Chandler

January 19, 2021 11:40 PM

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One of the last things Trump did before he must leave the White House and position of power was pardon and commute the sentences of over 140 people. Of those to receive pardons were Greg Reyes, Anthony Levandowski, and Lil Wayne.

A press release issued by the White House early Wednesday morning on January 20^th listed the 73 people who have received a pardon from Trump as well as 70 people who have had their sentences commuted. There are a few interesting names listed in the document, which details their charges and convictions.

Greg Reyes

President Trump granted a full pardon to Greg Reyes. This pardon is supported by Shon Hopwood, former United States Attorney Brett Tolman, and numerous others. Mr. Reyes was the former CEO of Brocade Communications. Mr. Reyes was convicted of securities fraud. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, however, threw out his convictions, finding prosecutorial misconduct. He was later retried, convicted, and sentenced to 18 months in Federal prison. Mr. Reyes has accepted full responsibility for his actions and has been out of prison for more than 8 years.

Anthony Levandowski

President Trump granted a full pardon to Anthony Levandowski. This pardon is strongly supported by James Ramsey, Peter Thiel, Miles Ehrlich, Amy Craig, Michael Ovitz, Palmer Luckey, Ryan Petersen, Ken Goldberg, Mike Jensen, Nate Schimmel, Trae Stephens, Blake Masters, and James Proud, among others. Mr. Levandowski is an American entrepreneur who led Google’s efforts to create self-driving technology. Mr. Levandowski pled guilty to a single criminal count arising from civil litigation. Notably, his sentencing judge called him a “brilliant, groundbreaking engineer that our country needs.” Mr. Levandowski has paid a significant price for his actions and plans to devote his talents to advance the public good.

As New York Times Tech Reporter Mike Isaac points out on Twitter, this is quite the ending to the story. While working at Google, Levandowski was working on self-driving car technology only to leave and sell his self-driving truck start-up to Uber. The deal fell apart when Google discovered Levandowski stole trade secrets.

Dwayne Michael Carter Jr.

President Trump granted a full pardon to Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., also known as “Lil Wayne.”  Mr. Carter pled guilty to possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, owing to a conviction over 10 years ago.  Brett Berish of Sovereign Brands, who supports a pardon for Mr. Carter, describes him as “trustworthy, kind-hearted and generous.”  Mr. Carter has exhibited this generosity through commitment to a variety of charities, including donations to research hospitals and a host of foodbanks.  Deion Sanders, who also wrote in support of this pardon, calls Mr. Wayne “a provider for his family, a friend to many, a man of faith, a natural giver to the less fortunate, a waymaker, [and] a game changer.”

There are certainly a whole lot of pardons to read through here. As President-elect Biden is sworn in, there’s no doubt going to be continuing attention paid to these pardons and what it means, especially when someone like Steve Bannon is receiving a pardon for “fraud stemming from his involvement in a political project”.

Sam Chandler

Guides Editor

Hailing from the land down under, Sam Chandler brings a bit of the southern hemisphere flair to his work. After bouncing round a few universities, securing a bachelor degree, and entering the video game industry, he's found his new family here at Shacknews as a Guides Editor. There's nothing he loves more than crafting a guide that will help someone. If you need help with a guide, or notice something not quite right, you can message him on X: @SamuelChandler