Meek Mill has received a full pardon from the governor of Philadelphia, Tom Wolf, for his possession of firearm charges stemming from 2007.
The rapper shared the certificate of pardon he received from the governor’s office, which included the embossed logo of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania along with the governor’s signature. According to the pardon, Meek Mill, whose real name is Robert R. Williams, was recommended for a full pardon by the Board of Pardons.
“Know ye, That in consideration of the premises and by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Commonwealth… said Robert R. Williams (Alias: Meek Mill), born on May 6, 1987…he is hereby thereof fully pardoned,” the document read.
The Governor’s pardon refers to Meek Mill’s controversial sentence in 2007 when he was 19 years old and putting him on probation for almost a decade. The case resulted in controversy in 2017 when judge Genece Brinkley sentenced him to two to four years in prison for violating his probation by continuing to work against orders by the judge.
The case caused much controversy, particularly for Brinkley, who was accused of issuing the sentence against the recommendation of the Assistant District Attorney and Probation Officer. The Philly rapper had accused the judge of having a personal vendetta against him, and Meek even requested that she step down after claiming she asked him to put her name in a rap song. At that time, many fans of the rapper had signed a petition for Governor Wolf to pardon the rapper, but the governor had said he couldn’t intervene unless Meek applied for a pardon.
At the end of his appeal, the judge was removed from the case, and the rapper was granted a re-trial. He later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and had other charges against him dropped.
In a comment on his Instagram page, the rapper shared that he will continue to work for his community. Meek Mill has been working on initiatives to benefit at-risk youth, and he has also collaborated with the likes of Kevin Hart and Michael Rubin on scholarships for low-income students.
“Thankyall I’m only gone do more for my community on god! #newlevelsunlocked,” he captioned a photo of the pardon.
Since his case, Meek Mill has been an advocate for Criminal Justice Reform and changing the systems that are quick to send young men to jail for misdemeanors.
