How do I go about getting a pardon? I had federal mail fraud charges brought against me in Texas. I have been off of probation since April of 1997.

Under the United States Constitution, the President has the authority to grant pardons for all federal offenses except impeachment. Information concerning pardons can be obtained from the Office of the Pardon Attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice at: http://www.usdoj.gov/04foia/readingrooms/opa.htm The Office of the Pardon Attorney receives and reviews petitions for all forms of executive clemency, including pardon, commutation (reduction) of sentence, remission of fine, and reprieve. It also initiates the necessary investigations of clemency requests, and prepares the report and recommendation of the Attorney General to the President on clemency requests. The Office of the Pardon Attorney maintains a clemency case file for each individual who has applied for or been granted clemency. The office also acts as liaison with the public for correspondence and informational inquiries about the clemency process. The office is also the repository of historical records pertaining to the granting of clemency. A copy of the application for a federal pardon is on the internet at: http://www.cjpf.org/clemency/PardonApp.pdf A lot of pardons are granted just before a president leaves office, as they were last week by President Clinton, and by former Presidents Bush, Reagan and Carter before him. Even President George Washington granted pardons. So give it a try, you have only your felony record to lose!