Boxer hopes for clemency
Charles “Duke Got Next” Tanner has a bunch of reasons why he’s hoping he gets clemency this month, but one of his driving forces is his son.
“What would be a greater gift than to give myself and to be in his presence physically? That’s the greatest gift I could give in his lifetime,” Tanner said.
The former Gary boxer’s clemency request is pending with the Department of Justice. Tanner and his supporters are hopeful his will be included in any requests President Donald Trump may grant during the holiday season.
“That would mean everything to me. It would be a great Christmas present,” said Charles Tanner III, Tanner’s 16-year-old son.
Tanner, 38, is set to be released in 2030, according to the Bureau of Prisons, after he had his double life sentence reduced.
When he was arrested, Tanner was an undefeated light heavyweight boxer from Gary who had been in a televised fight on ESPN.
Tanner was accused of leading the Renegades, a local gang that trafficked thousands of pounds of crack cocaine and marijuana, and was convicted in 2006 of conspiracy to distribute.
Tanner admits his crimes and understands he broke the law. But he said he feels he’s learned from those mistakes, worked to better himself and is ready to return to society to help people in his community.
Tanner tried for clemency during President Barack Obama’s administration, but that request was denied.
This time, he’s seeking a commutation of his sentence, which could potentially lead to his release or reduction in sentence but would not clear his conviction or imply innocence, according to the DOJ.
Amy Ralston Povah, founder of CAN-DO, said she sees a chance of clemency for Tanner.
“Tanner is certainly a strong contender,” she said.
While Ralston Povah has worked with other inmates across the country in their clemency efforts, she said, “It was kind of hard to ignore Charles’ case because it’s so compelling.”
CAN-DO, or Clemency for All Non-violent Drug Offenders, prioritizes cases of women who received lengthy drug sentences based on conspiracy laws, those with life or long sentences for marijuana and first-time offenders.
Ralston Povah created the nonprofit after her own clemency request was granted during President Bill Clinton’s administration. She served nine years of a 24-year prison sentence on conspiracy drug charges.
Ralston Povah said that Tanner “is almost a poster child for someone who deserves a second chance.”
“It’s just one that touches your heart,” she said.
Tanner is a first-time offender with a nonviolent offense. Since he’s been in prison, he’s taken classes and worked to improve himself, according to CAN-DO.
Tanner and Ralston Povah said they’re encouraged by Trump’s discussion about criminal justice reform. This month, the legislature passed a bipartisan criminal justice reform bill. Trump granted clemency to Alice Marie Johnson, who was serving a life sentence for a nonviolent drug offense, and also gave a pardon to heavy weight boxing champion Jack Johnson, who died in 1946.
As of December, Trump had received 825 petitions for pardons and 4,183 petitions for commutations during his time in office, according to the DOJ. Trump has granted seven pardons and four commutations, and he’s denied 82 pardons and 98 commutations, the DOJ shows.
When Tanner was sentenced, federal sentencing guidelines were harsher for crack cocaine than for other drugs, which contributed to his initial life sentence. Since then, the U.S. Sentencing Commission changed the amounts of crack cocaine needed for certain terms, and the change was applied retroactively to Tanner.
“I believe, if Donald Trump read my case and my petition, he will let me go,” Tanner said.
Tanner III was 2 years old when his father went to prison, but he said they “are still close even though he’s in jail.”
“He still plays a big role even though he’s not here,” Tanner III said.
Tanner III said his father tries to guide and teach his son to “not make the mistakes that he did.”
Tanner is housed in a low-security federal correctional institution in Allenwood, Pa., but he repeatedly say she’ s blessed and gives credit to his faith.
Tanner knows his fam- ily and friends have suffered with him through the decisions he made, but they also “showed infinite patience with me through this whole situation,” he said.
“It taught me about blessing, about what unconditional love was,” he said.
Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson said she supports Tanner in his clemency request.
“I think he can certainly send a very strong message. He is remorseful. He has acknowledged his behavior. And that it was not consistent with who all of us believed him to be when he was boxing,” FreemanWilson said.
If released, Tanner has plans to help and share his story with younger generations, including in the Gary community, he said.
“Who better to give that message to young people than to say, here is someone who has literally worked to, one, rehabilitate themselves, acknowledge their wrongdoing and who now wants you to keep on a path of life to keep them off the path of crime,” Freeman-Wilson said.
State Sen. Eddie Melton, D-Gary, said he also supports Tanner’s efforts.
“He advocates that his mentorship would thrive as a positive influence for kids and the community outside of completing his boxing career. He is determined to deter others from going down the same path he previously chose in his youth,” Melton said.