Wyclef Associate John Forte pardoned by President Bush

This came from SOHH.com:


News: Wyclef Associate, John Forte, Pardoned By President Bush
Written by Cyrus Langhorne

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 05:00:00 Z




Incarcerated music producer John Forte has been given a rare pardon by President George W. Bush allowing him to be released from his 14 year prison sentence beginning next month.


According to the Washington Post, the Grammy-award -winning artist is one out of the 16 people who have either received pardons or reduced sentences in the final months of the Bush Administration.

Forte was arrested after being caught in 2000 at New Jersey's Newark International Airport with 31 pounds of cocaine stashed in two briefcases. Despite being his first offense, he was later convicted of possession with intent to distribute and given a mandatory 14 year sentence at Fort Dix in New Jersey.

Being released in December after seven years behind bars, Forte is still subject to five years supervised probation.

The producer's rise to fame came from his work with The Fugees, helping co-write and producing two tracks from their multi-platinum selling album, The Score. He later released his 1998 solo project, Poly Sci, with Wyclef Jean behind the boards as producer.

Forte is currently scheduled to be released on Monday, December 22.