President Donald Trump has reportedly commuted the remaining prison sentence of John “Johnny Doc” Dougherty, the former Philadelphia labor leader convicted of public corruption and embezzling money from his union.
Dougherty’s attorney, George Bochetto, said Trump signed the commutation Thursday afternoon, potentially clearing the way for the longtime Democratic power broker to leave federal prison as soon as Friday.
“President Trump has signed a commutation so that Johnny Doc can be released from prison to take care of his gravely ill wife,” Bochetto told CBS News Philadelphia.
Bochetto said Dougherty’s wife, Cecilia, has exhausted the money available for private nursing care and needs her husband at home.
White House Reportedly Makes The Call
Bochetto said he received a call from the White House on Thursday informing him of Trump’s decision.
The attorney described the commutation as an act of compassion that crossed partisan lines, noting that Dougherty was a major force in Democratic politics for decades while Trump is a Republican.
“Our criminal justice system needs to have some compassion,” Bochetto told The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Outgoing U.S. Pardon Attorney Ed Martin also shared a report about Dougherty’s anticipated release on X, writing, “Mercy granted by the Mercy President, Donald J. Trump.”
However, the commutation had not appeared in the Justice Department’s public clemency database as of Friday morning. The database said its information was current only through Sept. 1.
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital and other news organizations. Trump also had not issued a separate public statement explaining the decision as of Friday morning.
Trump previously denied a commutation request from Dougherty in July, according to the Justice Department’s database. It was not immediately clear what prompted the president to reconsider the case.
Convictions Remain In Place
Dougherty led International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 98 for nearly three decades, turning it into one of Pennsylvania’s most politically influential labor organizations.
Federal prosecutors accused Dougherty and former Philadelphia City Councilmember Bobby Henon of participating in a corrupt arrangement in which Henon received a union salary and other benefits while using his public office to advance Dougherty’s interests.
A federal jury convicted Dougherty in 2021 of conspiracy to commit honest-services fraud and seven counts of honest-services wire fraud.
Dougherty was convicted in a separate trial two years later of charges connected to the theft of approximately $600,000 from Local 98. Prosecutors said union money was improperly used for personal expenses and other unauthorized purposes.
A federal judge sentenced Dougherty in July 2024 to six years in prison, three years of supervised release, forfeiture and restitution.
Then-U.S. Attorney Jacqueline Romero said Dougherty presented himself as the union’s “biggest booster” while simultaneously taking money from its members.
The commutation does not erase Dougherty’s convictions. Unlike a pardon, it ends or reduces the punishment while leaving the underlying criminal record intact.
Bochetto told the Inquirer that the order would eliminate approximately $1.6 million in outstanding restitution and free Dougherty from supervised release, electronic monitoring and house arrest. The precise terms could not yet be independently verified because the official commutation document had not been publicly released.
