My Journey to Redemption: Help Me Secure a Full Pardon and a Fresh Start

My name is Justin Poirier, and I’m humbly asking for your support as I work toward completing the final step needed to receive a full unconditional pardon—something I have spent more than two decades striving toward.

I am not proud of the mistakes I made when I was young. At 18, I was a kid who felt lost, broken, and convinced that I had no worth in this world. I was surrounded by drugs, gangs, and the belief that this was the only path for someone like me. Baseball became my escape—it gave me purpose, structure, and hope. In fact, just three days after winning the College World Series with Weber State University, I should have been on top of the world. Instead, I made a terrible decision that changed my life forever.

In a moment of immaturity and addiction-driven judgment, I broke into a college dorm room to steal marijuana. That decision resulted in a felony conviction. I later violated probation because of my drug problem, and I was sentenced to prison. I also carried a misdemeanor from an altercation that happened a few days after I turned 18—another decision I deeply regret and have taken full responsibility for my entire adult life.

But prison wasn’t the end of my story—it was the beginning of a new one.

A Life Rebuilt Through Faith, Family, and Responsibility

Since my release in 2007, I have worked tirelessly to rebuild myself from the ground up.

I completed parole flawlessly.

I put drugs, violence, and negativity behind me.

I graduated college, something I never believed I could achieve.

I became a husband and a father to four beautiful children, who are my purpose and motivation every single day.

I have dedicated my adult life to being a positive influence in my community.

I have letters of recommendation for a full unconditional pardon—one from a state senator and one from the very judge who sentenced me to prison. They recognized the work I’ve put into becoming a better man.

What’s Holding Me Back

The only remaining barrier to my pardon is a state debt from an old fine unrelated to the felony itself. Over the last 26 years, the interest has grown, even though I’ve been working to pay it down faithfully. Today, the remaining balance is $7,000.

I have come so far, but I cannot cross the finish line alone.

Why This Matters So Much

Receiving my full pardon would:

Give me back my second amendment rights, so I can protect my family.

Allow me to live a fully normal life, free from the shadow of mistakes I made as a teenager.

Provide me with new opportunities to support my wife and children.

Close a chapter of pain and regret that I have carried for half of my life.

I am not asking for help to erase my past—I take responsibility for every choice I made. I am asking for help to finalize the transformation I have spent decades building.

How You Can Help

Your contribution, no matter the amount, brings me one step closer to:

Clearing this last piece of debt

Securing my full unconditional pardon

Providing my family with the safety, stability, and future they deserve

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for reading my story. Thank you for believing that people can change. And thank you for helping me close this chapter and continue being the man my family and community can be proud of.

With gratitude,

Justin Poirier