“It is time for Joe Biden to pardon Marilyn Mosby,” said attorney and political strategist Angela Rye in reaction to President Joe Biden’s pardon of his son, Hunter Biden. The sweeping presidential pardon came after Biden explicitly said he would not pardon his son, who was federally convicted of gun possession and tax evasion.
Rye and other civil rights advocates are renewing their calls for the Biden White House to show mercy to Marilyn Mosby, a former Baltimore City state’s attorney, who was convicted of mortgage fraud and perjury in a prosecution critics say was unjust and politically motivated.
Mosby’s pardon application had remained in the hands of the Department of Justice and the White House for months before Mosby was sentenced to home detention, which has ended.
Angela Rye, who is working on Mosby’s legal team, told theGrio the pardon application was submitted “earlier this year” with an email expressing “receipt of the application on May 28.” The application is still viable, along with over 91,000-plus signatures petitioning the federal government to pardon Mosby, who gained national notoriety in 2015 when she, as state’s attorney, charged six police officers in the death of Freddie Gray, Jr.
There are similarities between Mosby’s pardon request and Hunter Biden’s pardon. On Instagram, Rye noted that Mosby was investigated by the same prosecutor, Leo Wise, who successfully sought charges against Biden. She also said attorneys pushing for Mosby’s pardon made the request on the same basis President Biden used to justify pardoning his son: selective prosecution.
“They need to find a rule and equally apply it,” said Rye.
Rye, who is working with civil rights attorney Ben Crump on Mosby’s case, said Mosby has been “tried and convicted for using her own money to purchase property.” That property in question has been seized, however, that has been placed on hold until her appeal is settled.
“They have gone after her bar license,” said Rye, who noted that even though Mosby is no longer in home detention, “she is not free.” Mosby is having a difficult time finding work and making a living as a result of the conviction, she shared.
As is any final days of a presidency, President Biden’s final two months in office have been met with many pardon requests. There are even calls to pardon former Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. and his ex-wife Sandi Jackson. The former Chicago lawmaker pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the campaign of more than $750,000. Sandi Jackson pleaded guilty to a tax charge and using campaign funds for a wide range of personal expenses. There is no official word yet from the White House or the Justice Department on any of these requests.