President Bush Pardons Man From South Carolina

President Bush pardoned a Travelers Rest man on Monday, more than 12 years after he was convicted of income tax evasion and sentenced to 180 days of home confinement.

Carey C. Hice Sr., 67, said, "I thank Jesus Christ for it. I’m just elated."
Bush pardoned 13 others along with Hice, who paid a $13,000 fine after his 1996 conviction. The crime will be eliminated from Hice’s record.
Hice said he is a chemical company owner, a father of three and grandfather of five with no connections to the Bush administration. "I’m just an average person who never had been in trouble," Hice said.
The new round of White House pardons are Bush’s first since March and come less than two months before he will end his presidency, according to The Associated Press.

Hice said he asked for a pardon without the help of an attorney. He said the attorney he had initially hired either couldn’t or didn’t want to find the papers he needed. The process included an interview with the FBI, Hice said. "It’s not something I dwelled on," he said. "I did my best, told the truth the best I knew it." Under the Constitution, the president’s power to issue pardons is absolute and cannot be overruled.


Taxpayer's Sentence:

Carey C. Hice Sr. -Travelers Rest, S.C. Offense: Income tax evasion; 26 U.S.C. Section 7201 and 18 U.S.C. Section 2. Sentence:March 5, 1996; District of South Carolina; three years' probation condition on 180 days' home confinement and a $13,000 fine.