New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo last week announced he would step down in two weeks, and he’s used his remaining time in office to grant clemency and pardons to 10 felons — including three tied to killings, according to a new report.
“One of the foundational promises of New York state is that of equal justice, and equal compassion, for all under the law,” said the Democrat, who is resigning in disgrace to avoid impeachment following allegations of sexual harassment against at least 11 women. “Today I’m proud to help fulfill government’s unique responsibility to harness the power of redemption, encourage those who have made mistakes to engage in meaningful rehabilitation, and empower everyone to work toward a better future for themselves and their families.”
“Cuomo commuted the sentence of Nehru Gumbs, 36, who was convicted of first-degree manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon and assault in 2005 — crimes committed when he was 18,” said the New York Post. “Gumbs was fingered for the brutal shooting death of an innocent bystander heading to his Canarsie home from a midnight church service on New Year’s Eve 2004. Gumbs has served 17½ years of a 25-year sentence. He has served as the youth counselor at Sing Sing prison and earned an associate’s degree from Mercy College and is pursuing a job as a plumber.”
The governor also granted clemency to Jon-Adrian Velasquez, 45, convicted of second-degree murder, attempted murder, and three counts of robbery in 1999, said the Post. Velazquez was convicted of shooting retired police officer Albert Ward to death in 1998. Actor Martin Sheen, who had met with him in prison, had pushed for his release, claiming Valasquez was not guilty.
Cuomo also reduced the sentence of Richard “Lee” Chalk, 63, convicted of two counts of second-degree murder and other charges in 1988. Chalk was the driver, not the gunman, in the murder, Cuomo said, and had served 33 years of a 50-years-to-life sentence.
Rep. Elise Stefanik, the House Republican chairwoman, ripped the moves, saying, “Disgraced Governor Cuomo’s bail reform policy has ravaged our streets and violent crime is skyrocketing all over New York. Now, he is pardoning murderers and violent criminals,” the Post reported. “The Albany Democrats are complicit and won’t impeach him, an embarrassing shame to our great state. The only way to stop the madness is to vote in a RED WAVE in 2022.”
Said Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), “Cuomo has been responsible for multiple cop killers, murderers and rapists being released over his tenure. Between his hand-picked parole board and botched bail law, his legacy will be a soaring crime rate and driving New Yorkers to lower-taxed, more safe states. I guess it’s only appropriate that his reign end with the same disgrace it began with.”
Cuomo has also drawn fire for filing retirement paperwork that will net him $50,000 a year for the rest of his life, according to the Post, which cited state laws that say “neither resignation or impeachment for alleged misconduct bars resignation or impeachment for alleged misconduct bars eligibility from obtaining a pension for state service.”