Repeat offender labeled 'danger to the community' walks free after Biden autopen clemency

A repetition offender erstwhile described by national prosecutors arsenic a "danger to the community" was acceptable to beryllium released Thursday aft receiving a condemnation commutation signed with an autopen successful the last days of erstwhile President Joe Biden’s administration.

Oscar Freemond Fowler III had been serving a 12-year, six-month national condemnation aft pleading blameworthy successful 2024 to being a felon successful possession of a firearm and possession with intent to administer cocaine. Federal prosecutors urged the tribunal to enforce astatine slightest 150 months successful prison, citing his lengthy transgression past and arguing helium posed an ongoing menace to the public.

Fowler was included successful a Jan. 17, 2025, enforcement assistance of clemency commuting the sentences of much than 2,500 inmates nether the Biden administration. The warrant, issued successful Washington and bearing Biden’s signature, was 1 of 3 clemency documents critics accidental were executed utilizing an autopen.

While the Biden medication said the commutations were alleviation for non-violent cause offenders, the Oversight Project, a blimpish investigative radical for the Heritage Foundation, argues that Fowler’s past of unit makes him a wide information to the public.

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Fowler, a 48-year-old with a decades-long transgression history, is acceptable to beryllium released from national situation connected Thursday, February 19. Fowler is seen present from a 2013 booking photo. (Pinellas County Jail)

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The Oversight Project issued a informing to Florida officials this week astir Fowler’s release.

"He is simply a unsafe transgression who’s expected to beryllium successful jailhouse for a precise agelong time," The Oversight Project President Mike Howell told Fox News Digital. "This is the nonstop idiosyncratic that should beryllium successful national custody."

The astir superior allegations successful Fowler’s past impact the decease of Naykee Bostic successful St. Petersburg, who was recovered with 25 gunshot wounds soon aft Fowler had been released from a erstwhile national stint successful 2013. While Fowler was acquitted of the execution successful 2017 aft 2 anterior mistrials, the Oversight Project points to a 2024 sentencing memorandum stating that Fowler made a video-recorded admittance to the sidesplitting and expressed a willingness to usage unit again.

Former President Joe Biden spoke to the paper's reporters successful a ten-minute telephone telephone regarding the increasing questions from President Donald Trump and GOP lawmakers astir the legality of Biden's pardons successful the last days of his presidency, which were mostly signed utilizing an autopen. (DOJ/Getty)

Howell said the lawsuit contradicts anterior characterizations of the clemency actions arsenic focusing connected nonviolent offenders.

"We hold with the Biden administration’s ain Justice Department officials who flagged that these radical were violent," Howell said. "Stop saying they’re nonviolent. The documents talk for themselves."

Howell besides questioned the legality of the autopen process.

"The president has said these autopen commutations are null and void," Howell said. "DOJ had a prime to make, support him successful custody oregon merchandise him, and they chose not to travel that direction."

The Florida Attorney General's bureau did not instantly respond to Fox News Digital’s petition for comment.

A framed representation of an autopen successful the White House.  (Credit: White House)

The merchandise of Fowler comes arsenic House Oversight Committee GOP bulk released a 100-page study successful October 2025 detailing findings from its monthslong probe into Biden’s White House, specifically whether his interior ellipse covered up signs of intelligence decline, and if that alleged cover-up extended to enforcement actions signed via autopen without Biden’s afloat awareness.

"The Department of Justice should instantly behaviour a reappraisal of each enforcement actions taken by President Biden betwixt January 20, 2021, and January 19, 2025. Given the patterns and findings elaborate herein, this reappraisal should absorption peculiarly connected each acts of clemency. However, it should besides see each different types of enforcement actions."

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In an interrogation with The New York Times in July, Biden affirmed helium "made each decision" connected his own.