Obama to free 61 drug convicts
Six S. Floridians among offenders given clemency
When Jeffrey Sapp comes home to Fort Lauderdale this summer for the first time in more than 13 years, his mother will be waiting to give him a big hug and a familiar, whispered message.
“God is good. That is what I’ll tell him,” said Lucille Sapp, 68. “We will be so happy to welcome him back.”
Convicted in 2002 of running a crack cocaine ring out of the family home, Sapp, 43, is one of 61 federal prisoners whose sentences were shortened Wednesday by President Barack Obama.
Speaking ahead of a Wednesday lunch meeting with some ex-cons whose sentences he commuted earlier, Obama said that most on the latest list “are low-level drug offenders whose sentences would have been shorter if they were convicted under today’s laws.”
Sentenced to 20 years, Sapp is now scheduled to be released July 28.
Also on the list to be freed is Marvin
Bailey of Hollywood, convicted in 1997 in West Virginia of three drug charges and sentenced under mandatory federal guidelines to life in prison. He was to have been released Wednesday.
Other South Floridians whose sentences were commuted include Andrew Lee Holzendorf of South Bay in Palm Beach County, and three Miami residents, Wayne Parker, Henry Claude Agnew and Carmel Bretous.
Not on the latest list of releases was Leonard Sapp, 45, who was arrested with brothers Jeffrey and Dwight Sapp during an October 2001 raid by the Broward Sheriff’s Office in what was then called “Operation Start.” The operation targeted crack houses.
The raid started with flash grenades being thrown into the house in the 2100 block of Northwest 20th Street, and left some of the occupants with burns, said Dwight Sapp. State charges against him were dropped, he said.
“I am not going to say that we were all Boy Scouts,” said Dwight Sapp, 41, a general contractor in Vero Beach. “But they made it a bigger thing than it was. The charges were trumped up and my brothers wrongly convicted.”
The commutations are designed to highlight the president’s push for overhauling the criminal justice system and addressing drug crime sentences that critics say contribute to excessive punishment and incarceration rates that are among the world’s highest.
Most of the inmates on Wednesday’s list are serving time for drug possession, intent to sell or related crimes. Most are nonviolent offenders. Many were doing time for crack cocaine offenses— a group that reformers say is disproportionately African-American. With Obama’s support, the Justice Department in recent years has directed prosecutors to rein in the use of harsh mandatory minimums and expanded criteria for inmates applying for clemency.
During his seven years in office, Obama has now commuted the sentences of 248 federal inmates — more than the previous six presidents combined, according to the White House. In total, he has commuted 92 life sentences.
“I believe America is a nation of second chances, and with hard work, responsibility and better choices, people can change their lives and contribute to our society,” Obama said.
Lucille Sapp, retired after a 23-year career as a U.S. Postal Service carrier, said she talks to her sons often, but has not seen Jeffrey for many years. He is currently incarcerated in Mississippi, she said.
“The boys have always kept an upbeat attitude,” she said. “I keep them updated with the family. And I remind them that as Christians we should never forget those in need.”
Jeffrey Sapp, a father of six, has two grandchildren he has never seen, Lucille Sapp said.
Her son should arrive home while she is celebrating her 69th birthday, Sapp said. “That will be the best present I can imagine,” she said.
Staff researcher Barbara Hijek and the Associated Press contributed to this report.