Man's desire to become military chaplain sidelined by decades-old conviction
"I don't do pardons," Gov. Scott Walker says
"I don't do pardons," Gov. Scott Walker says
"I don't do pardons," Gov. Scott Walker says
A former Milwaukee resident says he is still paying the price for a two-decade old drug bust. And, he says, it may now cost him a chance to become a military chaplain.
Mwangi Vasser, 39, was convicted in Milwaukee in 1998 of possession with intent to deliver less than $300 worth of cocaine.
After serving four months in prison, he said he turned his life around. He moved to Georgia, opened a small barber shop, earned college degrees and became a pastor. Still, he says his record continues to cost him opportunities, including having been denied in his attempt to become a military chaplain.
He wrote to Gov. Scott Walker to request a pardon, but got a reply from the Governor's Legal Counsel stating that "the pardon process has been suspended indefinitely."
"I don't do pardons," Walker said when WISN 12 NEWS asked about Vasser's case.
Walker said it is up to the judicial system to decide a person's guilt or innocence.
"Some people have got advocates and others do not. There are hundreds, if not thousands of people who have been through the criminal justice system in Milwaukee and elsewhere who don't have advocates for them seeking pardons. And to me, picking one versus another is something I'm not going to do as long as I am governor," Walker added.
Vasser called the governor's response disappointing but said he will continue to pursue his goal of ministering to military members. He said he will keep fighting to clear his old conviction, hoping to someday have a clean slate.
"What I did was wrong," Vasser said. "I did the crime but, 20 years later, I do believe I've paid my debt to society very heavily."
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