Smoky Mountain Today

After President Donald Trump issued sentence commutations for several federal inmates earlier this year, advocates say Curtis McDonald also deserves to be released.

Curtis McDonald, 68, is serving a life sentence without parole for conviction on 10 separate charges, including money laundering (four counts), conspiracy to commit money laundering, attempted possession of cocaine with intent to distribute (four counts) and conspiracy to possess cocaine with the intent to distribute (one count). He has been in prison for 21 years and applied for clemency once in 2016, which was denied.

McDonald was not convicted of a violent crime and has no connections with large scale criminal organizations, gangs or drug cartels. He has no significant criminal history and has already served 19 years, 11 months (at the time of writing the presentence report), during which he has maintained a spotless disciplinary record and has remained involved with the Mentors for Life program. He has also taken responsibility for his 1990s drug conspiracy activity that put him in prison.  

The presentence report submitted for his clemency bid notes that his sentence would be substantially lower if convicted today, and that the guidelines used to justify McDonald’s sentence were advisory in nature. The report notes that his sentence would likely be 25.5 years if convicted on the same charges today.

McDonald is currently incarcerated in FCI Memphis, in Tennessee. In a letter supporting his clemency application, McDonald wrote that he had accepted full responsibility for his actions and has been able to forgive himself for his negative contribution to society, "the disruption and embarrassment to my family and the corruption of my moral obligation to God, family and community.”

He went on to say that he has discovered the real Curtis McDonald, who is a man of God, conviction, strength and the courage to move forward with his life with the deep-rooted desire to give back to the community.