Connecticut Board of Pardons and Paroles grants multiple expedited pardons, denies some applications

The Connecticut Board of Pardons and Paroles met July 13, 2026, and voted on its expedited prescreen docket, granting a substantial number of full and absolute pardons while denying others and scheduling several applicants for full hearings.

Chair Deborah Smith Palmeri opened the public session and described the board’s authority and process, including that a granted pardon’s effect on public records can take up to 10 weeks and that Internet or third‑party background checks may still show information even after a pardon is granted. The board heard each expedited case publicly and voted at the conclusion of each individual deliberation.

In the expedited docket the board granted pardons including but not limited to Michael George Berulli, Jawan Johnson, Verna Meyer, Carlos Juan Rivas, Jonathan (Simone) Vasquez, Rafael Fabian DeParra, Lily James Gupta, Brian Xavier Ramos, Darnell Cochran, Yvonne Moore, Kelly Marie Oldfield Reyes, and Caitlin Pierce. Many of those granted had lengthy periods without convictions, letters of support, and evidence of steady employment or community service. For example, board members noted Berulli’s steady employment as a substation electrician and Meyer’s long period of being crime‑free and subsequent community ministry work.

A small number of expedited applications were denied after members cited public‑safety concerns or minimization of serious offenses. The board denied Mario Tropeano’s application after members agreed that the record minimized the firearm discharge that injured a teenager. Nadine Lisa Repentz was also denied because members pointed to repeated driving‑under‑the‑influence convictions and concluded that public safety required the official record remain intact.

One notable majority decision involved Andy Jafern Medina Gutez, whose application carried a split vote: the chair and one board member voted to grant the pardon while another member recorded a dissent, citing an outstanding question about completion of court‑ordered community service.

Several applicants were not granted an expedited pardon but were scheduled for full hearings so they could provide additional information. Daniel Gregory Silva, for example, was set for a full hearing after members requested more detail about his treatment and community service, given the timing of related out‑of‑state charges.

Board members consistently framed denials and referrals around three themes: the seriousness of an applicant’s offense (particularly firearm or injury cases), the recency of supervision or conviction, and whether the applicant had shown sustained stability and accountability in the community. “If granted, an absolute pardon may take up to 10 weeks from the date of this hearing to erase your criminal history from public record,” Chair Deborah Smith Palmeri told applicants at the start of the session, emphasizing both the remedial intent of pardons and the limits of administrative relief.

The board completed the expedited prescreen docket and moved on to the prescreen docket that requires victim notification; for that portion the panel scheduled many applicants for full hearings and denied others for reasons documented on the record. The public session ended after the chair closed the docket and thanked members for their assistance.

What’s next: Applicants granted pardons will be notified by email (full hearing applicants will be scheduled) and, if a full pardon was granted, applicants should expect record‑erasure processes to be completed in roughly 10 weeks. The board may call executive session for confidential material as permitted by statute.

(Reporting from the public July 13, 2026 session of the Connecticut Board of Pardons and Paroles; quotes and votes drawn from the board’s proceeding.)