Mark Wahlberg Seeking Pardon for Past Crime
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ABC/Randy Holmes(BOSTON) — Mark Wahlberg is seeking a pardon in his 1988 assault case, NECN.com reported.
The Departed actor is asking the state of Massachusetts to clear his record of the conviction, pointing out that he has tried to become a “better person and citizen” since the incident.
Wahlberg, who was 16 at the time, served 45 days in prison after he tried to steal two cases of alcohol from a man outside a convenience store. He hit the man over the head with a stick and punched another man in the face as he fled from police, reportedly leaving one of the men blind in one eye. Wahlberg says in the application that he was high on marijuana and narcotics at the time.
“I am deeply sorry for the actions that I took on the night of April 8, 1988, as well as for any lasting damage that I may have caused the victims,” Wahlberg, now a father of four, wrote in his pardon application. “Since that time, I have dedicated myself to becoming a better person and citizen so that I can be a role model to my children and others.”
He cited his charitable efforts, including the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation, the Dorchester Boys and Girls Club and the renovation of the Boston-area Parish Gym, as well as the fact that he attends church nearly every day.
“I have not engaged in philanthropic efforts in order to make people forget about my past,” he said. “To the contrary, I want people to remember my past so that I can serve as an example of how lives can be turned around and how people can be redeemed.”
Wahlberg said he would like the pardon so he can get a concessionaire’s license to help him with his restaurant businesses, and he’d like to be able to help law enforcement by working with at-risk kids.
“The more complex answer is that receiving a pardon would be a formal recognition that I am not the same person that I was on the night of April 8, 1988,” he added. “It would be formal recognition that someone like me can receive official public redemption if he devotes himself to personal improvement and a life of good works.”
The Board of Pardons needs to investigate the petition before it can be recommended to the governor. If the governor approves it, it still needs to get the approval of the governor’s council.
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