Fred Keith Alford
Pardon by Donald J. Trump
The Case
Facts on file from the DOJ Office of the Pardon Attorney
- Offense
- Firearms violation (interstate sale of firearm by federal firearms licensee)
- District
- Northern District of Oklahoma
- Original Sentence
- One year of unsupervised probation (January 17, 1977)
- Clemency Type
- Pardon — full forgiveness, restores civil rights
Case Overview & Context
Plain-English summary of the case and the legal context for this type of clemency
Case Overview
Fred Keith Alford was convicted in the Northern District of Oklahoma of a firearms violation involving the interstate sale of a firearm by a federal firearms licensee. He was sentenced to one year of unsupervised probation on January 17, 1977.
Pardon Context
A pardon is an act of presidential clemency that forgives the offense and restores civil rights such as voting, jury service, and firearm ownership that may have been lost due to the conviction. Unlike a commutation, which only reduces a sentence, a pardon represents official forgiveness, though the conviction itself remains part of the historical record. The presidential pardon power under Article II of the Constitution is plenary for federal offenses 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.