President Barack Obama this week pardoned a Fairless Hills woman convicted of drug offenses.
Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
Diane Mary DeBarri, who was formerly known as Diane Mary Wilhelm, was pardoned by the president on charges of conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine. She was convicted by the Eastern District Court of Pennsylvania in 1984. She served 90 days imprisonment and five years of probation conditioned on performance of community service as directed by the court.
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Following her release from the courts system, DeBarri found work as an intake officer for the Kintock Group, which is a nonprofit that helps provide assistance to people convicted of crimes. Now, she serves as CEO of the that company.
“I did this mostly for my family – to show them what you can do through effort and perseverance,” DeBarri told WHYY’s Newsworks. “It reinforces the fact that people can overcome their past and devote their lives to making a positive difference for others.”
“Margaret Colgate Love, who served as U.S. pardon attorney under Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, said a presidential pardon relieves legal restrictions and is a sign of forgiveness,” a Philly.com article states.
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The Kintock Group “contracts with federal, state and county law enforcement agencies to provide cost effective alternatives to incarceration and re-entry services for individuals transitioning from the criminal justice system to the community,” according to their website. The nonprofit has facilities around the Philadelphia and Northern New Jersey areas.
The White House said Obama granted pardons this week to 12 people and communicated the sentences of eight others.
