Connecticut Board of Pardons and Paroles grants absolute pardons to majority of March 16 docket

The Connecticut Board of Pardons and Paroles convened its absolute pardon docket by Zoom on March 16, 2026, and tentatively granted absolute pardons to most applicants after brief testimony, board questioning and victim input.

Chair Robert Czesauskas opened the hearing, explaining that any pardon granted that day would be tentative until background checks and Connecticut State Police Bureau of Identification clearances were complete. "The board may grant an absolute pardon or a certificate of employability," Czesauskas said at the start of the session.

Applicants gave short statements describing rehabilitation, treatment and community activities. Richard Mendez, who told the panel he had been off supervision since 2018 and had completed programs including Evolve and Explorer, faced the most divided vote: Panel member Chance said she would deny because she did not hear sufficient remorse or detail about treatment, while other members cited seven years of stability and program participation in supporting a pardon. The board granted Mendez’s application by majority vote; victim-services staff read a victim statement opposing the pardon during deliberations.

Other applicants who spoke about long stretches of sobriety, treatment and community service included Duval Rafiq, Geraldine Bostick, Tracy Ordonez, Nigel Gaynor and several others. For example, Duval Rafiq discussed ongoing therapy and volunteer work while the panel cited support letters in moving to grant his pardon. Geraldine Bostick read a prepared statement expressing remorse for a fatal crash and described decades of community service and foster parenting; the board granted her pardon.

Victim input was recorded in multiple cases. Victim Services representative Vasquez read statements both opposing and supporting pardons depending on the case; in some matters victims explicitly told the board they were not in favor, while in others victims or their representatives supported the applicants.

Votes were recorded on each case and the board announced that results would be emailed within a week and posted on the board’s website within 48 hours. As the hearing coordinator emphasized at the outset, any pardons approved that day are tentative pending completion of record checks and clearance by the Connecticut State Police Bureau of Identification.

Votes at a glance

- Richard Mendez — Motion to grant an absolute pardon carried by majority (Turner: Aye; Chance: Nay; Chair: Aye). Decision: granted (tentative). - Duval Rafiq — Granted (unanimous). - Geraldine Bostick — Granted (unanimous). - Tracy Ordonez — Granted (unanimous). - Nigel Gaynor — Granted (unanimous). - Jennifer Allers — Granted (unanimous). - Ray Anthony Lewis — Granted (unanimous). - Gabby Martino — Granted (majority; victim input opposed in one case). - Yamile Lopez Nunez — Granted (unanimous). - Carl Richard Ehlers — Granted (majority). - Michael Antonopoulos — Granted (unanimous). - Randolph Armstrong — Granted (unanimous). - Keisha Boyd — Granted (unanimous). - Frank Brown — Granted (majority; one objection recorded). - Latrice Brown — Granted (unanimous). - Domingo Cooper — Granted (unanimous). - Robert Fisher — Granted (unanimous). - Patrick Hasek — Granted (majority; board discussed recency of sobriety). - Alfredo Rivera — Granted (unanimous).

What happens next

The board stressed that all pardons granted at the hearing are tentative until record checks and the Connecticut State Police Bureau of Identification complete clearance; applicants will receive email notice within a week and mailed certificates after record erasure is confirmed. The board adjourned at approximately 12:54 p.m.

(Reporting note: quotes and attributions in this story come from the hearing transcript; victim statements were read into the record by a Victim Services representative and are summarized because the victims did not always speak directly.)