Oscar Fowler, whose sentence was commuted before Donald Trump took office for his second term as president, is facing charges at the state level.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A man who had his federal sentence commuted during the last days of the presidency of Joe Biden is now facing state charges in Florida.
“Moments ago, we took Oscar Fowler, a dangerous career criminal who was commuted by Biden’s autopen, into custody to face state charges,” Florida’s Attorney General James Uthmeier said Monday. In addition, Uthmeier thanked the St. Pete Police Department and the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms office in Tampa for their support.
A spokesperson with the St. Petersburg Police Department told 10 Tampa Bay News that U.S. Marshals were also involved in the arrest.
According to the Department of Justice, in a press statement from April 2024, Oscar Freemond Fowler III, now 50, from St. Petersburg, had been sentenced to 12 years and six months in federal prison.
Fowler’s initial charges were for “possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon and for possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute it,” the DOJ said at the time in the 2024 statement. Fowler had entered a guilty plea on January 4, 2024, the DOJ added in that statement.
Records from the Department of Justice show that Fowler had his sentence commuted on Jan. 17, 2025, just three days before Donald Trump took office for his second term as president. The commutation was granted to Fowler along with over 2,400 individuals, DOJ records show.
The DOJ records also show that Fowler’s sentence was commuted from 12 years and six months to 40 months, or three years and four months.
Pinellas County Jail records show Fowler is currently in custody, and that he has been charged with sale or delivery of cocaine, felonious possession of a firearm/ammunition, possession of marijuana, and sale or delivery of cocaine.
Fowler’s bond was set at $175,000, jail records show.