Pardon Me, Pritchard, but your Pardon isn’t True, Too

With less than 32 days…and counting, before the State Committee of the Georgia Republican Party meets on May 10 to decide whether Brian K. Pritchard should retain his position as First Vice-Chair of the Georgia Republican Party, Pritchard and his allies are waging a full-on campaign of misinformation and disinformation to excuse Pritchard’s illegal voter registration and NINE illegal votes. Rather than owning up to his past illegal actions by channeling the (in)famous quote from George W. Bush quote and stating, “I understand voter fraud. I was one,” attempts are being made to muddy the waters, even by taking my own writings out of context.

Over the past several years, Pritchard has tried to shrug off his illegal voter registration and NINE illegal votes by claiming he was “pardoned” for his initial felony crimes for which he was convicted in Pennsylvania. While his details were always sketchy, even here on Peach Pundit we have given him the benefit of the doubt that his claims of a pardon were true.

Now, thanks to information in The Georgia Record, a publication that not only hosts Pritchard’s Voice of Rural America podcasts, but has taken up the defense of Pritchard all the while it has expanded its attacks on State Party Officials, we now have a copy of Pritchard’s “pardon” document, which continues to be shared by Pritchard apologists claiming his illegal voting was not illegal because Pritchard was pardoned. The problem, the document doesn’t claim to do what they claim it does.

On April 5, 2024, according to a staff report published in The Georgia Record titled These Are The Pritchard Documents They Don’t Want You To See, a copy of Pritchard’s Restoration of Rights from the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles dated November 8, 2017 is posted in the article and claims to show that Pritchard’s case was closed in 1999, seeming to allude Pritchard was free and clear after that date, stating, “As seen below, [the Board of Pardons and Paroles] findings listed the case as closed in 1999. The document also confirms the restoration of civil and political rights.”

The article also seems to draw a conclusion that Pritchard was pardoned for his crime in 2017 back to 1999 and concludes with the question, “Observers wonder if the Administrative Judge who ruled Pritchard registered improperly, considered the above findings and orders before rendering her ruling.”

Before addressing the above “wonderings” from the above referenced “observers,” it’s worth it to first understand what exactly is the role of the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles.

In Georgia, civil rights are NOT automatically restored at the completion of a felony sentence, like the ones Pritchard pled guilty to in 1996. To have his civil rights restored, Pritchard was required to submit an application for the restoration of his rights to the Georgia Board of Pardons and Parole, which he did sometime in 2017.

According to the Q&A’s on the website for the Georgia Board of Pardons and Parole, a convicted felon, “must have completed all sentence(s) at least two (2) years prior to applying and lived a law-abiding life since the termination of your sentence(s).”

That means not only had Pritchard needed to have finished his sentence, including all probation, but he would also still have to wait two full years before applying for restoration of his civil rights. If he never submitted an application, his civil rights would not have been automatically restored and he still would not have his civil rights, which, as the document lists, include the following rights:

1. Serve on a jury;
2. Run for and hold public office;
3. Serve as a notary public; and
4. Right to receive, possess, or transport in commerce a firearm.

The restoration of rights in no way means that the initial crime was pardoned, only that his felony sentence has been concluded and the felon had lived a law-abiding life at least two years before applying.

One right that is not included on the above list and is not included in the Restoration of Rights should be obvious…the Right to Vote is not included, and there is a good reason it isn’t…it is the one right automatically restored.

Also on the Q&A webpage:

Do I have to apply with the Parole Board to restore my right to vote? No. Your right to vote is automatically restored upon termination of your sentence(s). However, you must re-register with your local registrar’s office in the county of your residence.  

Finally, as Pritchard’s conviction was in Pennsylvania, he could not have been pardoned by the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles as no authority in Georgia can pardon a convicted criminal of a crime which occurred in another state.

Now that the role of the Board of Pardons and Paroles is explained, let’s go back to the article in The Georgia Record and whether the “Administrative Judge who ruled Pritchard registered improperly, considered the above findings and orders before rendering her ruling.”

Despite the fact The Georgia Record bills itself as “Real Investigative Journalism,” it only takes a quick reading of the decision to answer the question.

Judge Lisa Boggs did, in fact, considered and EXPLAINED it in detail beginning on page 10 of her decision, under a heading that should have clued in The Georgia Record: 2017: Restoration of Rights with Board of Pardons and Paroles.

In her decision, Judge Boggs stated:

Sometime in 2017, the Respondent applied with the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles (“Pardons and Paroles”) for the restoration of his civil and political rights, as well as the right to bear arms. He testified that his application included his date of conviction in the Allegheny court in 1996, three letters of reference, and a written section explaining what the convictions had done to his life. However, he could not recall whether he included information about his sentences associated with his convictions. About seven months after submitting the application, the Respondent traveled to Woodstock, Georgia, for an interview with an individual from Pardons and Paroles.

In a document dated November 8, 2017, Pardons and Paroles ordered that the following rights be restored to the Respondent: to serve on a jury; to run for and hold public office; to serve as a notary public; and to receive, possess, and transport in commerce a firearm. Pardons and Paroles specified that these enumerated rights comprised the rights he lost as a result of the three 1996 convictions in the Allegheny court. The order stated the sentence from the 1996 convictions was for three years’ probation, handed down on May 15, 1996. It also stated, “Case Closed 5/14/1999.”

Despite the previous claims from Pritchard that he was pardoned, claims that were even repeated in the testimony to the State Elections Board by Pritchard’s attorney, George Weaver, there does not seem to be any evidence that Pritchard was pardoned for his initial underlying crimes of forgery.

From page 22 of the SEB transcript:

While the reason the document from State Board of Pardons and Paroles states the case was closed on 5/14/1999, the date the initial probationary period was to end, is not completely clear given the obvious evidence that probation was extended several times, a simple Google search reveals that the case being closed is not an indication that the sentence has been completed.

On lawyers.com, a Pennsylvania attorney answers this exact question, “If you have been sentenced, they may view your case as closed, even though you are on probation.”

One fact that is quite clear from the record that is found no where in the “real investigative journalism” of the The Georgia Record is that Pritchard’s sentence and probation did not end in 1999, even if the initial underlying case was closed.

On page 6 of her decision, Judge Boggs notes the evidence shows that Pritchard’s probation was extended several times, the most recent in 2004 when it was extended for seven (7) more years, which means Pritchard did not complete his sentence until 2011.

The unrepentant Pritchard continues to defend himself on his Voice of Rural America social media sites, including the below post on Facebook, constantly claiming that his “worst crime is fighting for America, fighting to elect Trump, fighting for election integrity, fighting to expose the corruption,” rather than the three felonies that he pled guilty to in 1996 and had to pay over $30,000 in restitution. What’s more, as someone who is already a convicted felon, Pritchard should consider himself lucky that the statute of limitations had run before his NINE illegal votes, all of which are felonies as well, were discovered.

If Pritchard truly believes he is innocent of all wrong doing, maybe he should waive the statute of limitations and allow a criminal case with possible felony charges of illegal voter registration and illegally voting NINE times to go forward. Instead, Pritchard continues to claim clean hands as he publish his rants and ravings, attacking with impunity.

When the State Committee considers Pritchard’s fate in less than 30 days, one fact that they should be well aware of is that, despite his claims, Brian K. Pritchard was NEVER pardoned for his felony crimes. However, like any other felon who had finished their sentence, he petitioned the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles only to restore the civil rights he had lost as a result of his conviction. The date that his case was closed, despite claims to the contrary, has nothing to do with his probation having to be extended several times until 2011 do to Pritchard’s failing to meet the conditions of his initial probation.

Pritchard continues to spread lies, misinformation, and disinformation, so what is it to him to continue to falsely suggest that he is a free man, with no criminal record, pardoned for his past mistakes?

So, you can pardon me, Pritchard, but your pardon isn’t true too.

Correction: an earlier version of this post had the State Committee date as May 6. It is May 10.