4 Florida cases on Trump clemency list as he ends presidency

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Two rappers, a once-prominent eye doctor and a real estate investor convicted in a Ponzi scheme were Floridians on Donald Trump's clemency list hours before he exited the presidency.

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—Rapper Lil Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., was given a full pardon. The Grammy-winner was charged in Florida on Nov. 17 with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, a federal offense that carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

—Rapper Kodak Black, whose real name is Bill K. Kapri, was granted a commutation. The “Tunnel Vision” rapper is serving a three-year prison sentence for falsifying documents used to purchase weapons at a Miami gun store.

—Eye doctor Salomon Melgen, convicted in 2017 of bilking Medicare out of $73 million, was granted a commutation. The 66-year-old Melgen, formerly a prominent Democratic donor and friend of New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, was serving a 17-year prison sentence in a Miami prison.

—Fred Davis Clark Jr. had his 40-year prison sentence commuted. He was convicted in 2016 of falsely promising his company could turn dilapidated properties in Florida, Las Vegas and the Caribbean into luxury resorts that would bring investors fat returns. In reality, the operation was a Ponzi scheme that used money from new investors to pay existing ones while Clark took millions off the top.