Summary: Actor Mark Wahlberg asks state of Massachusetts for pardon regarding crimes he committed at the age of 16.
At the age of 16, Mark Wahlberg assaulted a man in an attempt to steal two cases of alcohol and punched a second man when trying to avoid police, according to CNN. This was on April 8, 1988. He was taken into custody and tried as an adult. He served 45 days in prison.
Now, Wahlberg has a successful career as a movie star and works with at-risk youth. He claims he is still affected by his convictions.
He submitted a petition on Monday asking for a pardon in the state of Massachusetts.
To read more about Mark Wahlberg, click here.
“I am deeply sorry for the actions that I took on the night of April 8, 1988, as well as for any lasting damage I may have caused the victims,” he wrote in the petition. “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 goes on to say that his record “can potentially be the bases to deny me a concessionaire’s license in California and elsewhere.”
Wahlberg said this is important to him because of his ownership in Wahlburgers, which he and his brothers hope to expand.
Wahlberg also said, “given my prior record, Massachusetts and California law prohibit me from actually obtaining positions in law enforcement,” which prevents him from becoming “more active in law enforcement activities.”
To read more about the state of Massachusetts, click here.
Wahlberg has talked about his past before, including with CBS News this past July.
“I have a lot of real life experience that I can draw on,” Wahlberg said. “And I think that shows in the characters that I play because I’m always trying to find somebody — or find characters to play that I can identify with on a personal level or relate to. And I think it makes for a little bit more of an honest portrayal.”
“Once I got a second chance, I was never going to do anything to mess it up.”
Wahlberg has left some details out of the pardon request, including the fact that he threw a racial slur at the first man he attacked and continued using slurs after being arrested. One of the victims he attacked was left with a blind eye.
“The more complex answer is that receiving a pardon would be a formal recognition that I am not the same person that I was the night of April 8, 1988,” he wrote. “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.”
He wrote that being pardoned would send a message to troubled youths that “they too can turn their lives around and be formally accepted back into society.”
The parole board will review the case and send its recommendation to Governor Deval Patrick, who will make a final decision.
To read more about Governor Deval Patrick, click here.
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