20 Texans just got clemency from Biden, including one pardon. Here’s who they are.
President Joe Biden granted clemency this week to 20 Texans who were convicted of non-violent drug offenses, giving one pardon and 19 commutations.
They were among three Americans pardoned and 75 given shorter sentences in Biden’s first time using clemency powers.
“Today, I am pardoning three people who have demonstrated their commitment to rehabilitation and are striving every day to give back and contribute to their communities,” Biden said in a statement. “I am also commuting the sentences of 75 people who are serving long sentences for non-violent drug offenses, many of whom have been serving on home confinement during the COVID-pandemic — and many of whom would have received a lower sentence if they were charged with the same offense today, thanks to the bipartisan First Step Act.”
Six of those granted clemency are from North Texas, including two from Fort Worth.
1. Betty Jo Bogans, Houston
Betty Jo Bogans, 51, was one of three people pardoned. In 1988, she was convicted of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine in the Southern District of Texas after attempting to transport drugs for her boyfriend and his accomplice, neither of whom were detained or arrested. Bogans, a single mother with no prior record, accepted responsibility and served seven years. Since being released from custody almost 20 years ago, Bogans has held jobs while undergoing treatment for cancer and has focused on raising her son.
2. Nickolas Cano, Amarillo
New Mexico State Police stopped a 1998 Honda Accord for speeding and found 24 cans of Campbell’s soup filled with meth that the drivers said they were delivering to Nickolas Cano in Amarillo. He was convicted of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of meth and aiding and abetting. On Sept. 5, 2014, Cano was sentenced to 140 months in federal prison and a four-year term of supervised release. Instead of being released in 2026, his sentence will end April 26, 2023, with the remaining year to be served on house arrest, leaving the four-year term of supervised release.
3. David Charles Jenkins, Beaumont
David Charles Jenkins was charged with intent to distribute cocaine base in the Western District of Louisiana as well as a violation of supervised release and production of counterfeit access devices in the Eastern District of Texas. For the three convictions, he was sentenced to 169 months. His sentence is now set to end on April 26, 2023, with the remainder to be served in home confinement, leaving intact eight and three-year terms of supervised release, and unpaid remainders of his $5,000 fine and $2,516 restitution.
4. Alejandro Reyna, Brownsville
Alejandro Reyna was sentenced to 210 months, or more than 17 years, in 2014 for importation of more than 50 grams of meth. His sentence will now expire April 26, 2023, with the remainder to be served in home confinement, leaving in-effect a five-year term of supervised release.
5. Stephanie Hernandez, Dallas
Stephanie Hernandez was sentenced to 120 months in 2017 for distribution of a controlled substance. Her sentence is now set to end April 26, 2023, with the remainder to be served in home confinement.
6. Julio Garza, Edinberg
In May 2010, Julio Garza of Edinberg was sentenced to 20 years for possession with intent to distribute 10 kilograms of cocaine. Now his sentence will expire Aug. 24, leaving a 10-year term of supervised release.
7. Deborah Ann Dodd, Forney
Deborah Ann Dodd was convicted in 2015 of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute meth and was sentenced to nearly 12 years with five-year supervised release. Her sentence will end April 26, 2023, with the remainder to be served on home arrest, leaving the five-year term of supervised release.
8. Nova Neal Finau, Fort Worth
In March 2016, Nova Neal Finau of Fort Worth was sentenced to 140 months in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance. His sentence is commuted to expire on April 26, 2023, with the remaining year of his sentence to be served in home confinement, and a four-year term of supervised release.
9. Brittany Krambeck, Fort Worth
Fort Worth woman Brittany Krambeck was sentenced to 220 months in prison in 2010 for maintaining drug involved premises and structuring transactions to evade reporting requirements. Her sentence is set to end on April 26, 2024, with a three-year term of supervised release.
10. Quang Nguyen, Houston
Quang Nguyen was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2017 for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 1,000 or more marijuana plants. He will now be released on April 26, 2023, with the remaining year to be served in home confinement.
11. Ramola Kaye Brown, Huntsville
Ramola Kaye Brown of Huntsville got a 12-year prison sentence in September 2015 for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and less than 50 kilograms of marijuana. He is set to be released on April 26, 2023, with the remainder to be served in home confinement, leaving intact a five-year term of supervised release.
12. James Darrell Walker, Lubbock
James Darrell Walker, 48, was arrested after an informant arranged to buy 48 grams of crack cocaine from him for $800. He was sentenced to almost 30 years in prison in 2006 for distribution of and possession with intent to distribute cocaine base before its was reduced 10 years later. His projected release date was Oct. 1, 2024. Now, he’ll be released on April 26, 2023, with the remainder to be served in home confinement.
13. Rosamaria Lucero, New Braunfels
In 2018, Rosamaria Lucero was sentenced to 10 years in prison for possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. She’s set to be released on April 26, 2023, with the remainder to be served on home arrest.
14. Lori Jean Cross, North Richland Hills
Lori Jean Cross, 42, was sentenced to 10 years in 2016 for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance. Her sentence will expire on April 26, 2023, with the remainder to be served in home confinement, leaving intact a three-year term of supervised release.
15. Mark Richard Burton, Odessa
Mark Richard Burton was sentenced to 121 months in prison, a five-year supervised release and $15,000 fine in 2016. He was charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute 50 grams or more of actual meth and/or 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing meth. His sentence commuted to expire on April 26, 2023, with the remainder to be served in home confinement, leaving intact the five-year term of supervised release.
16. Aaron Ponce, Odessa
In 2013, Aaron Ponce was sentenced to 20 years in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute a controlled substance with 50 grams or more of actual meth. He’ll be released this year on Aug. 24, with a 10-year supervised release.
17. Sharon Louise Boatright, Richardson
Sharon Louise Boatright from Richardson was sentenced to about 16 years in prison in 2013 for possession with intent to distribute meth. She’ll be released on April 26, 2023, with the remainder on home arrest, with a four-year term of supervised release.
18. Fermin Serna, Rio Grande City
Fermin Serma was given a 20-year prison sentence in 2007 for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute in excess of 1,000 kilograms of marijuana. His sentence will now expire on Aug. 24, with a 10-year term of supervised release.
19. Catalina Davis, San Antonio
Catalina Davis, 57, was sentenced to more than 17 years in 2014 before her sentence was reduced to about 12 years in 2015. She was charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute meth. She’ll be released on April 26, 2023. She’ll serve the remaining year in home confinement.
20. Rose Trujillo Rangel, Waco
Rose Trujillo Rangel was sentenced in April 2008 to 20 years and fined $5,000 for conspiring to distribute cocaine. Rangel will now be released on Aug. 24. She will still be required to complete a three-year term of supervised release and pay the unpaid remainder, if any, of the $5,000 fine.
This story was originally published April 28, 2022 at 1:07 PM.
