Connecticut Board of Pardons and Paroles grants absolute pardons to applicants who appeared; one matter continued

HARTFORD — The Connecticut Board of Pardons and Paroles on Dec. 3 heard dozens of pardon applicants in a virtual session and voted to grant absolute pardons for the applicants who appeared today. Chair Jennifer Medina Zaccagnini presided over the hearing and said the board evaluates the seriousness of an offense, victim impact, time elapsed and efforts at rehabilitation when considering pardons.

The board opened the session with procedural instructions from hearing coordinator Parole Officer Ferraro, who cautioned applicants that any pardons granted at the hearing are tentative pending final record checks by the Connecticut State Police Bureau of Identification and that certificates will be mailed after records are cleared. Applicants were sworn before presenting statements or answering members’ questions.

Applicants who spoke described varied paths to the hearings: long-term sobriety and participation in recovery programs; completion of probation and court-ordered classes; steady employment; volunteer work mentoring youth; caregiving responsibilities; and efforts to regain licensure or employment blocked by their records. Several applicants said they had completed domestic-violence or anger-management programs, attended Alcoholics Anonymous or narcotics recovery programs, or participated in educational and vocational training since their convictions.

Board members frequently pressed applicants on specifics — whether they continued to use substances, the details of the underlying police reports, and what practical barriers a record imposed — and sometimes referenced victim impact or missing victim-service input. Board member Rufaro Berry described the panel’s role in distinguishing between sincere rehabilitation and unresolved risk. For cases where members expressed reservations about facts or recent behavior, the hearing record shows board members nonetheless weighed elapsed time and demonstrated rehabilitation in support of a grant.

Votes at a glance: - Jose Galicia Vega — Motion to grant absolute pardon by Chair Zaccagnini; outcome: granted (majority; one recorded nay). - Yara (Lara) Vergara — granted. - Kyron (Byron) Tucker — granted. - Benjamin Smith — granted. - Guy Salvati Jr. — granted. - Frank Fuscino — granted. - Nicholas Henry — granted. - Antonio Pitt — granted. - Steven Page — granted. - Michael (James) Pontes — granted. - Juan Vega — granted. - Donald Doward — granted. - Taylor Goodwin — granted. - Willie Kinder — granted. - Jose Morales — granted. - Larry Oxendine — granted. - Natasha Pope — granted. - Neil (Antonio) Frisco/Prisco — granted. - Catherine Richardson — granted. - Jeffrey Rock — granted. - Romel/Rommel Saona — granted. - Ervin/Irvin Velasquez — granted. - Carrie Alice Vingo — granted. - Lawrence Welch Jr. — granted. - Tyquan (Taekwon) Welfare — granted. (Full list of cases heard and outcomes recorded in board minutes and the timeline provenance below.)

One matter was continued: the board noted that Norman Edwards Jr. (docket position referenced as applicant 13 in the prescreen list) failed to appear and granted a one-time continuance; staff said the matter will be denied if he is not present at the next hearing.

What a pardon means: Chair Zaccagnini reminded applicants that an absolute pardon is not a finding of innocence or exoneration; rather, it can result in the erasure of a record only after final verification. She emphasized that pardons granted at the hearing are tentative until state police clearances are complete, which can take up to 10 weeks, and that the board will post results to its website and mail certificates.

Next steps and practical impacts: Several applicants said they sought pardons to remove employment barriers — from the ability to work with youth, obtain certain licenses, or apply for positions with background checks — and to pursue housing and volunteer roles. The board’s grants remove state-level convictions from the public record only after administrative clearances; applicants and third-party background sources may still have residual information visible online. The hearing adjourned after the board completed the scheduled matters for the day.

Provenance: This article is based on statements, questioning and motions recorded during the Connecticut Board of Pardons and Paroles absolute pardon hearing held via Zoom on Dec. 3, 2025; the transcript segments covering the hearing run from SEG 001 through SEG 4915.