JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. (AP) - An East Tennessee man who received a
pardon from President Obama says at first he didn't believe what he
was hearing.
Tom Ledford told the Johnson City Press he thought it was a joke
when he picked up his telephone Monday and a woman told him Obama
had just signed his presidential pardon.
Ledford and four other people were pardoned Monday, marking
Obama's third set of pardons. None of those pardoned have been
well-known.
Ledford had been sentenced in 1995 to one year of probation for
conducting and directing an illegal gambling business. Ledford says
he also paid a $50 fine.
He says he spent the last 16 years struggling because of the
conviction, finding it difficult to get a job.
Ledford says he filled out a pardon application three years ago.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
