Meek Mill Pardoned By Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf

On Thursday, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf granted Meek Mill clemency on a 15-year-old drug and weapons charge.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf offered an olive branch to rapper and actor Meek Mill during his final days in office. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Wolf, 74, gave Mill, legal name Robert Rihmeek Williams, clemency on a 15-year-old drug and weapons possession charge in his last round of pardons on Thursday (January 12). The pardon is one of 369 issued in January, bringing Wolf's total to 2,540, more than any other Pennsylvania governor.

On Instagram, Williams posted a redacted official letter from the governor, clearing him of charges of marijuana possession and carrying a firearm in Philadelphia.

“I’m only going to do more for my community,” the rapper wrote on Instagram, concluding with the hashtag #NewLevelsUnlocked.

“Meek Mill has been an outspoken advocate about the power of criminal justice reform and second chances to change lives,” Wolf’s deputy press secretary Emily Dempsey wrote in an email. “Governor Wolf is proud to pardon him.”

Wolf surpassed former Gov. Ed Rendell, who previously held the record for pardons with over 1,100. More than 600 of the pardon's Wolf issued came from Expedited Review Program for Nonviolent Marijuana-Related Offenses and the PA Marijuana Pardon Project, both which aim to decrease those impacted by the legal system on non-violent marijuana possession charges.

“Every single one of the Pennsylvanians who made it through the process truly deserves their second chance, and it’s been my honor to grant it,” said Wolf in a statement. “I firmly believe that with restored rights, pardoned Pennsylvanians prove themselves by stepping up and giving back to our communities.”