President Donald Trump on Monday commuted the sentences of seven prisoners, among them Ronen Nahmani, 45, an Israeli Haredi man living in Florida who had been sentenced to 20 years in prison back in 2015 for distributing synthetic marijuana.
The White House announcement of the commuted sentence said the action had been strongly supported by many notable leaders from across the political spectrum, like Representatives Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY 8th District) and Mark Meadows (R-NC 11th District).
“Mr. Nahmani is a non-violent, first-time offender with no criminal history,” the White House said. “He has five young children at home and his wife is suffering from terminal cancer. These extenuating circumstances underscore the urgency of his request for clemency.”
The announcement noted that “Members of Congress and a broad cross-section of the legal community have expressed support for clemency for Mr. Nahmani. These include several distinguished senior Department of Justice officials, numerous prosecutors and judges, and many reputable legal scholars. Among his supporters are former United States Attorneys General Edwin Meese and Michael Mukasey, former Solicitor General Seth Waxman, former Senator Orrin Hatch, Senators Marco Rubio and Rand Paul, Representatives Mark Meadows, Matt Gaetz, Anthony Brown, Bradley Schneider, Darren Soto, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Eliot Engel, Frederica Wilson, Hakeem Jeffries, Lois Frankel, Ted Lieu, Tom McClintock, and many others.”
Nahmani’s attorneys, and an expert chemist, argued that the prosecution’s case was based on a false assessment of the volume of the counterfeit substance imported by Nahmani, and that the his sentence was excessive.