Meek Mill Pardoned by Pennsylvania Governor 15 Years After Drugs and Weapons Conviction

Mill is one of 369 pardons by Gov. Tom Wolf in his final full week.

Meek Mill has been officially pardoned by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf. On Thursday night, the rapper took to social media to share the news with an Instagram photo showing the pardon document that Wolf signed.

"I'm only gone do more for my community on god!" Mill said in the post.

According to CBS News, Mill is one of 369 pardons by the governor in his final full week. The pardons granted in the past week raise Wolf's total to 2,540, the most ever granted in state history. Almost 400 were for nonviolent marijuana offenses, according to a news release from the governor's office.

An official pardon means "total forgiveness by the state for a criminal conviction" and allows a person to completely clear their criminal record, according to the release.

In 2017, Mill -- born Robert Rihmeek Williams -- was sentenced to serve two to four years in state prison for a minor probation violation after a 2008 gun and drug possession conviction. He spent five months locked up before an appeals court granted him bail. Mill was later granted a retrial on his 2008 conviction and ultimately pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge and all other charges were dropped. 

Since then, the rapper has used his platform and nonprofit as a vocal advocate for criminal justice reform. It was soon after his release that Mill launched the REFORM Alliance with fellow rapper JAY-Z, which focuses on probation, parole and sentencing reform in the U.S.

"I got caught up in the system and every time I started to further my life with the music industry -- from traveling the world, performing worldwide and actually making money to be able to provide for my family and take them out of their ruthless environment, every year or two was something that always brought me back to ground zero and it was probation and I always wondered what happened to people in situations worse than mine," Mill said in 2019. "I'm here to speak for all the people who don't have a voice."

In 2020, Mill and former 76ers co-owner Michael Rubin created a $2 million scholarship fund for Philadelphia students. In January of last year, Mill, Rubin and Kevin Hart announced a $15 million donation to 110 private and parochial schools in Philadelphia.

More recently, REFORM Alliance announced that Mill paid bail for 20 women so they could spend the holidays with their loved ones.  

In an Instagram post shared on Christmas Eve, the nonprofit shared that the women were incarcerated at Riverside Correctional Facility in Philadelphia and couldn't afford bail. REFORM's post explained that five women were subsequently released to be reunited with their families, with the goal of 15 more women being released shortly thereafter.

Mill said in a statement that the holidays can be an "extremely challenging time" for families impacted by the criminal justice system, and so that's why he wanted to help.

"No one should have to spend the holidays in jail simply because they can't afford bail, and no child should be without their parents during this time if we can do something about it," Mill said. "I'm grateful for the opportunity to help these women be with their families and loved ones during this special time of year."

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