Rapper Meek Mill, who has spent much of his adult life on probation following a teenage arrest, has been pardoned by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf. The 35-year-old rapper, born Robert Williams, celebrated the news on social media and vowed to continue working towards criminal justice reform in his community.
I just got pardoned … last week we donated 7m to our community…. I get so many good highlights it’s like fake … they have no control over my narrative I’m stronger then them in life and on the net! They want you to be quiet so I talk moreeee lol
— MeekMill (@MeekMill) January 13, 2023
In 2008, Williams was found guilty of drug and gun charges and sentenced to one to two years in jail followed by 10 years of probation. However, the case came to a head in 2017 when the judge sentenced Williams to two to four years in prison for violating probation, citing a failed drug test, failure to comply with an order restricting his travel and two unrelated arrests. Despite a prosecutor and a probation officer recommending against incarceration, Williams spent months in prison before being released.
In 2019, a Pennsylvania appeals court overturned Williams's conviction because new evidence undermined the credibility of the arresting officer. The next month, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge in a deal that resolved the 2007 arrest.
Governor Wolf signed a total of 369 pardons this week, adding to his record number of pardons granted since taking office in 2015. Williams was among those pardoned, having been granted clemency for his gun and drug charges.
