Imagine you have a troubled past. When you graduated high school, you had no clue what to do with your life, and if you're honest with yourself, you probably weren't around the best crowd. You slowly started experimenting with things, weed here, drinking there. Even a few times you stole from gas stations because you were running low on money. Nothing serious, but wrong nonetheless. This lifestyle continued, and you decided to try drugs that were a little stronger: LSD and pills. This started the darkest chapter in your life as you began to spiral. At this point, you struggle to even remember this period in your life, it's all been blurred together. But you do remember being caught by the police while driving high, with all your drugs in the car. They charged you with a felony, but the judge showed leniency, saying if you pleaded guilty to the felony, you wouldn't have to go to prison.

You took this chance to get cleaned up. You met a girl. You went to college. You decided to better yourself, and you did. You got a full-time job, had kids, it has been 25 years since this dark chapter, and you rarely even think of it. However, your company has received a new contract to work on a project. This is an amazing new opportunity, but there's one issue: the FBI will not work with felons. This one mistake from the past now has the chance to ruin your career, and there seems like there's nothing you can do.

However, there is something you can do. A client of Joe Joe Ingram Law, LLC was in a similar situation and received a full pardon. This full pardon completely wiped away his past record, eliminating his felony conviction. Our client was a 47-year-old man, a devoted father of fifteen years, a husband for over a decade, and a hardworking contractor who has been steadily employed since 2000. Yet, our client continued to be followed by the mistakes of a much younger version of himself, mistakes that no longer reflect the man he is today.

In 1996, at just 19 years old, our client was charged with criminal mischief and property damage. This marked the beginning of a brief but dark chapter in his life, time when he lacked direction and pushed the boundaries of both society and the law. During this period, our client experimented with drugs, using them as a way to escape the consequences of choices he regretted. In 1999, he was arrested for possession of a controlled substance and a weapons offense. Following these charges, our client spiraled further into drug use, turning to synthetic substances like LSD to cope with the life he had created—a life he desperately wanted to leave behind. This drug use eventually led to further charges: possession of synthetic narcotics and a dangerous controlled substance in 2004. Recognizing the harm he had caused himself and others, our client accepted responsibility, pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to 10 years, split 2, to serve the remainder on probation.

In 2023, our client accepted a promotion to become a general contractor at a large construction company. However, in May 2024, while preparing to lead a new project involving the construction of the FBI headquarters, our client’s past returned to haunt him. Due to drug possession convictions from decades earlier, stemming from a period of his life that no longer reflected the man our client is today. He was disqualified from serving as the general contractor on the project. Despite the confidence and support of his employer, the FBI barred him from participation based solely on his record.

In January of this year, this client reached out to Joe Joe Ingram Law, LLC about his situation and the possibility of obtaining a pardon. A pardon would completely clear his record and make it as if the felony never occurred. After an initial consultation, Joe Joe Ingram Law, LLC began the process of obtaining a pardon for our client. This process began with obtaining all required records and documents and requesting a hearing in front of the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles. Then letters were sent to the board, as well as scheduling an in-person hearing. During the process, our client was able to continue working while Joe Joe Ingram Law, LLC handled the complexities of a successful pardon application. The process culminated with an in-person hearing in front of the pardon and parole board. This hearing involved a short statement from our client and a longer statement from Attorney Joseph Ingram. This hearing resulted in the board issuing a unanimous pardon to our client. This successful result was in part due to the hours of preparation for the board hearing and the years of trial experience of Joseph Ingram, which resulted in a positive pardon recommendation from the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles this July.

Don't let a mistake from your past define your future. Contact Joe Joe Ingram Law, LLC today for a consultation on how a pardon might free you from your past.

If you have a Federal Criminal case, a State Criminal case, a Municipal Case or a Family Law case in the Northern District of Alabama, Middle District of Alabama, Southern District of Alabama, or any federal jurisdiction in the Eleventh Circuit, including Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, contact Joe Ingram or Joe Ingram Law, LLC at 205-825-LAWS. Get Relief * Get Results