Former Erie County Politician Gets Presidential Pardon

Former Erie County Executive and 27th District Congressman Chris Collins was released from a federal prison in Florida after receiving a pardon from President Trump yesterday.

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Collins used to represent the New York 27th congressional district before he pled guilty to insider trading charges in 2019.

He was sentenced to 26 months in jail and started serving his sentence this past October. According to WGRZ, Collins was released from prison last night and will not face any more punishment in connection with his guilty plea.

a federal pardon sets aside all punishment for conviction of a federal crime and restores some civil rights but doesn't erase the conviction, if you were asked on a form, for example, if you had ever been convicted of a federal crime, your answer would have to be yes, but the punishment is gone.

Republican Chris Jacobs won a special election this year to fill Collins' seat in Congress.