Qustion Dingle
Commutation by Barack Obama
The Case
Facts on file from the DOJ Office of the Pardon Attorney
- Offense
- Possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of cocaine base
- District
- Southern District of Florida
- Original Sentence
- 216 months' imprisonment; eight years' supervised release; $1,000 fine (Terms: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019 and unpaid balance of the $1,000 fine remitted, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment)
- Clemency Type
- Commutation — reduces sentence but conviction stands
Case Overview & Context
Plain-English summary of the case and the legal context for this type of clemency
Case Overview
Qustion Dingle was convicted in the Southern District of Florida of possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of cocaine base. He was sentenced to 216 months (18 years) in prison, eight years of supervised release, and a $1,000 fine.
Pardon Context
A commutation reduces or eliminates a sentence but does not remove the underlying conviction from the recipient's record. In this case, the prison sentence was shortened to expire on January 19, 2019, and the unpaid portion of the fine was forgiven, contingent on enrollment in residential drug treatment; the conviction itself remains, and the supervised release term continues as originally imposed. Under Article II of the Constitution, the presidential clemency power is absolute and requires no judicial review or approval. The president's personal reasoning for this specific grant is not publicly documented.
AI-generated summary based on public clemency records. The president's specific personal reasoning for this grant is not publicly documented.
Constitutional authority: Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution grants the President “Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States.” This power is absolute for federal crimes — Congress cannot override it, and no judicial review is required. The president is not required to publish reasons for individual grants.