NASHVILLE, Tenn. — At least four Tennessee men are among the 73 people pardoned by President Donald Trump during the final hours of his term.
Nashville resident Robert Sherrill founded a mentoring program for at-risk youth and a group that works to ease prisoner reentry. Knoxville's Josh Smith founded a business then used the money from the sale of his company to start the Fourth Purpose Foundation, a criminal justice reform group. Both served time for drug convictions.
David Miller of Nashville was convicted of making a false statement to a bank. He is now the development director at prison ministry Men of Valor.
A fourth man, Johnny Phillips Jr. served time for fraud. He now advocates for diabetes research.
One of the people also pardoned during Donald Trump's final hours as president is a Mississippi physician who pleaded guilty to a federal bribery charge in 2012.
Dr. Robert S. Corkern led Batesville Hospital Management, which handled business operations for Tri-Lakes Medical Center in Batesville. Federal court records show Corkern admitted that on March 28, 2007, he paid $25,000 to the Panola County administrator as a bribe for the administrator's role in securing a $400,000 county payment to the rural hospital.
A White House news release said Trump's pardon of Corkern is supported by Mississippi's two Republican U.S. senators, Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith; and Republican former Gov. Phil Bryant.
