Letter from U S Dept of JusticeU. S. Department of Justice
Pardon Attorney
Washington, D.C. 20530
NOV 2 9 !?~
Mr. Robert Parcher
City Clerk, City of Miami Beach
City Hall
1700 Convention Center Drive
Miami Beach, Florida 33139
Dear Mr. Parcher:
Your letter of November 1, 1999, to Attorney General Reno was forwarded to this office
for response to the extent it concerns clemency for several Cuban prisoners. This office
processes 'petitions for executive clemency on behalf of the President. To the extent your letter
concerns political asylum for these prisoners, we are forwarding a copy of it to the Immigration
and Naturalization Service.
Your letter transmits a copy of an October 20, 1999, resolution of the Mayor and City
Commission of the City of Miami Beach, urging President Clinton to consider clemency for five
Cuban prisoners. Since the President's clemency powers extend only to offenses against the
United States, our response pertains to the two individuals identified in the materials you
submitted who are incarcerated due to conviction of a federal offense, Jorge Perez and Eduardo
Arocena. Under current regulations governing executive clemency, a person convicted of a
federal offense is not eligible to apply for a full pardon until at least five years after release from
incarceration. A person still serving a federal prison sentence may apply for executive clemency
in the form of commutation (reduction) of sentence if he is not then challenging his conviction or
sentence through appeal or other court proceeding; however, that relief is generally considered
only if the individual submits a petition requesting clemency. To date, neither Mr. Perez nor
Mr. Arocena has applied tbr commutation of sentence.
I hope this information is of assistance.
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Thank you for writing to the Attorney General.
Sincerely,
Roger C. Adams
Pardon Attorney