Maurice (Moe) Foley 20211-068

Maurice Foley’s Petition for Presidential Clemency was denied by Obama

Maurice' sentence was reduced and he was released from federal custody.  Maurice Foley is free.

Those of us who visit loved ones who are confined behind miles of razor wire can recognize the family pictures in our albums. They are posed but always in front of a wall. We yearn for just one that could be taken at a dinner table. When not posing before a wall we sit in hard chairs with a small table between us eating cold food and drinks from a vending machine. This is how we celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas and birthdays.

Since April 2003 this is how Maurice has seen his family, but only a total of three times. He is now far from home housed in a Federal Prison in California​.

Maurice’s father is 75 years old and lives in Pennsylvania while Maurice is confined in a USP in central California. Never the less he fills his days with productive activity. He’s earned 32 college credits through correspondence and has a 4.0 GPA. He also has over 1.200 hours of BOP educations classes. He hasn’t been able to take any college courses for two years because the tuition doubled and his father can’t afford to pay the increased cost anymore.

Maurice has also taught himself Spanish and now reads, writes and speaks it fluently. Maurice works on his case and has a 2255 filed to reduce his federal sentence. Maurice was able to have invalid convictions that were used to enhance his sentencing vacated. This will hopefully serve to reduce his federal sentence.

If Maurice is released before his father dies, there is a viable business waiting for him. His Dad owns a racetrack that will be a turnkey business for him if his Dad can keep it running till his son’s release. If Maurice were released, he would not be a liability nor a danger to society, he would continue the interest and tradition of his father and provide a recreation venue for a community.

In 2012 Maurice was discussing his case with a guard. When the conversation was over the guard reported that Maurice offered to sell him 100 pounds of marijuana. Anyone would know it couldn’t be done, but the guard no doubt was commended for reporting and Maurice was held in solitary till he could be transferred to a High Security Facility far from home.

This is a little known truth about our prison system. Tens of thousands of nonviolent offenders are held in High Security Prisons just because it can be done. There nonviolent inmates are designated security risks by the BOP and placed in facilities that require far more resources and tax money than is required. This is an expensive distortion of law enforcement and incarceration expense and costing taxpayers billions.