Meek Mill can no longer be oppressed by his 15-year-old drug and gun charges thanks to a pardon granted by
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf. Yesterday (Jan. 12), the Philadelphia rapper shared the news via social media.
In a post showing the signed certificate that frees him from his criminal record, Mill expressed gratitude to the ones who made it possible and promised to elevate his charity efforts.
“Thank yall. I am only [going to do] more for my community on God!” he wrote. He also went to Twitter to rejoice. “I got pardoned today… I’m taking things really far from being a trench baby!”
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I got pardoned today …, I’m taking things really far from being a trench baby!
— MeekMill (@MeekMill) January 13, 2023
Mill was one of 369 recipients to receive a pardon from Governor Wolf this week, bringing his total to 2,540 since taking office in 2015.
“I have taken this process very seriously — reviewing and giving careful thought to each and every one of these 2,540 pardons and the lives they will impact,” said Gov. Wolf in a statement. “Every single one of the Pennsylvanians who made it through the process truly deserves their second chance and it’s been my honor to grant it. A record prevents positive forward motion in a person’s life, and can spark a repetitive cycle of defeat. I firmly believe that with restored rights, pardoned Pennsylvanians prove themselves by stepping up and giving back to our communities.”
Mill, 35, whose real name is Robert Rihmeek Williams was found guilty of drug and weapons charges in 2008, at the age of 18. He was sentenced to 11 to 23 months in prison, but only served eight months and did 10 years of probation. Mill has since been in a legal battle with the Philadelphia court system. Most recently, Mill was arrested and sentenced to two to four years in state prison for violating probation in 2017.
Judge Genece Brinkley, the same judge who initially convicted the rapper, made the decision. He spent five months behind bars before the state Supreme Court ordered him to be released in April 2018 after prosecutors said there were “credibility issues” with the officer who testified against the rapper in the 2008 case.
In July 2019, the Superior Court of Pennsylvania granted Mill’s appeal, which overturned his 2008 conviction and ordered a new trial to be overseen by a different judge. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Brinkley was transferred to civil court and stripped of all her criminal cases after being accused of unethical conduct.