Overview
- Lawyer George Bochetto said late Thursday that President Trump signed a commutation ending the remainder of Dougherty’s six-year federal sentence and that Dougherty could be freed soon.
- As of Thursday night the Office of the Pardon Attorney’s public records did not show the commutation and officials have not confirmed the timing or terms for any release.
- Dougherty was convicted in separate trials of bribery and embezzlement tied to his leadership of IBEW Local 98 and was sentenced in July 2024 to six years in prison.
- Federal judges had repeatedly denied Dougherty’s requests for house arrest to care for his gravely ill wife, and his attorney says the commutation would allow him to return home to provide care.
- The move raises questions about political optics and next steps for enforcement and restitution because a commutation ends a sentence but does not vacate convictions or necessarily remove financial penalties.