Mark Wahlberg seeks pardon for 1988 assault committed at age 16

**dksnj** · December 5th, 2014, 09:11 AM

Mark Wahlberg seeks pardon for 1988 assault committed at age 16

The ‘Transformers’ star is seeking a pardon for committing assault against a Vietnamese man at age 16. Wahlberg said that the pardon ‘would be a formal recognition that I am not the same person that I was on the night of April 8, 1988.’

Mark Wahlberg wants a clean slate. The “Transformers” actor filed a petition last Wednesday seeking a pardon for assaulting a man in 1988, according to NECN.
Wahlberg was 16-years-old when he was arrested for assaulting a man in his Dorchester, Mass., neighborhood. The news site reports that the actor’s pardon application states that the assault occurred while the then-teenage star was attempting a robbery outside a convenience store.
Wahlberg, under the influence of drugs and alcohol, “hit the man over the head with a wooden stick” and also punched the victim as he tried to escape police.

The “Boogie Nights” star was tried as an adult and served three months in jail. Nearly three decades later, he is hoping to have the assault charge removed from his record.
Wahlberg, 43, said in the petition that he should be pardoned due to his extensive involvement with several charitable organizations, including his own Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation.
"I have not engaged in philanthropic efforts in order to make people forget about my past," Wahlberg stated. "To the contrary, I want people to remember my past so that I can serve as an example of how lives can be turned around and how people can be redeemed."
Wahlberg also gave a very personal reason for seeking to clear his record.
"The more complex answer is that receiving a pardon would be a formal recognition that I am not the same person that I was on the night of April 8, 1988," the star wrote.
"It would be formal recognition that someone like me can receive official public redemption if he devotes himself to personal improvement and a life of good works."

The Massachusetts advisory board of pardons is reviewing more than 70 applications for pardons, and have not yet voted on recommending a pardon for the actor, the Boston Herald reports.

**gas_chick** · December 5th, 2014, 09:17 AM

And I'm sure he will get it because of who he is.

**Taedium** · December 5th, 2014, 09:24 AM

I hate this cunt.

**dksnj** · December 5th, 2014, 09:36 AM

I wonder if he ever apologized to the victim. Didn't he also make racist remarks to the victim?

**MohandasKGanja** · December 5th, 2014, 09:44 AM

Originally Posted by dksnj

I wonder if he ever apologized to the victim. Didn't he also make racist remarks to the victim?

I don't know, but check this out:

He wrote that it is his "understanding" that he "may have caused serious injuries," though he reportedly left one of his victims blind in one eye. Wahlberg was convicted on charges including assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, capping three years of frequent
run-ins with police.

If I were reviewing is petition, I would say, "As soon as that guy get his eyeball back we will wipe the slate clean."

**sluce** · December 5th, 2014, 09:45 AM

I agree that he is not who he was back then. However, many people who are convicted of crimes, especially when they are young, become better adults and learn from their past. If he gets a pardon, they all should too.

**MohandasKGanja** · December 5th, 2014, 09:48 AM

Would this mean we also have to pardon his performance in "Four Brothers"? No effing way!

**JadeStar70** · December 5th, 2014, 10:28 AM

Hey!! I love the movie, Four Brothers!!

It is one of my families favorite movies.

I like him as an actor, but I don't think he should get a pardon. He did commit the crime, was charged and served his time. As a result, he has the assault charge on his record for life and it should stay that way. You have changed?? Well, that is great,...continue on with your life and prove daily how you have changed and grown as a human being. But, you do have to be held accountable for your actions through out your life, even if it was a mistake you made at a young age. Own the charge, you earned it.

**MohandasKGanja** · December 5th, 2014, 10:43 AM

Originally Posted by JadeStar70

Hey!! I love the movie, Four Brothers!!

It is one of my families favorite movies.

Okay, for you, let's make "The Happening" his unpardonable movie. Please tell me that nobody is going to defend THAT one.

**gas_chick** · December 5th, 2014, 10:47 AM

Yeah I love a ton of his movies but The Happening ain't one.

**ManxMouse** · December 5th, 2014, 10:52 AM

Yep, dumb as hell. When that guy gets his sight back, you can have your pardon. This crap is not what a pardon is about.

**JadeStar70** · December 5th, 2014, 11:55 AM

Originally Posted by MohandasKGanja

Okay, for you, let's make "The Happening" his unpardonable movie. Please tell me that nobody is going to defend THAT one.

Okay,...that works for me, Mo. lol I actually haven't seen that movie, so I will add it to my Netflix queue and give it a view.

**MohandasKGanja** · December 5th, 2014, 12:10 PM

Originally Posted by JadeStar70

Okay,...that works for me, Mo. lol I actually haven't seen that movie, so I will add it to my Netflix queue and give it a view.

I think that might be the movie that Andy Samberg of SNL based his Mark Wahlberg impression on. I need to find that clip.....

**Kittylady** · December 5th, 2014, 01:48 PM

If he's really changed then he wouldn't be trying to wipe this out of history. Instead he'd deal with it like a mature, responsible adult and when it was brought up say "Yes I did that and yes I went to prison and yes I deserved what I got and maybe I should have got more, all things considered. But I'd like any young fan of mine who learns of my history to take it as an example of what you can achieve when you make the decision to change and not continue down a bad path."