Christie issues 26 Orders of Clemency

file photo

Governor Chris Christie issued 26 clemency orders; 25 pardons and one commutation of sentence, on Friday.  Christie leaves office on Tuesday.

Eleven of the pardons were of individuals convicted on weapons possession charges and eleven were for drug possession charges.  One pardon was for a driving while intoxicated.   The commutation of sentence for was for the 1993 homicide conviction of an Ocean County woman. Read the rest of this entry »

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Christie Commutes Brian Aitken’s Sentence To Time Served

By Art Gallagher

This afternoon at 4:30 Governor Chris Christie signed a commutation order of Brian Aitken’s prison sentence of seven years for illegal possesion of firearms to time served effective today.  The Governor order that Aitken be released from prison as soon as administratively possible.

According to numerous news reports, Aitken had purchased his firearms legally while a resident of Colorado and was transporting them pursuant to instructions he had received from the New Jersey State Police while moving back to his native New Jersey when he was arrested in January of 2009.  The judge presiding over Aitken’s trial did not allow the jury to consider the exemption to New Jersey’s firearm carry law for transporting weapons between residences.

Christie’s commutation order can be viewed here.

There is a statement of the Free Brian Aitken facebook page that reads as follows:

It’s official—Governor Christie has commuted Brian’s sentence and he will be home before Christmas!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU everybody. If it wasn’t for your letters, phone calls and support this never would have happened. What a joyous Christmas this will be. Thank again from the bottom of our hearts. Brian Aitken has been freed!

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