News Link • Presidential Pardons
Trump pardons Mets legend, 'Celebrity Apprentice' alum Darryl Strawberry over tax evasion co
• https://nypost.com, By Steven NelsonThe pardon comes more than 15 years after Trump and Strawberry shared the small screen on NBC's "Celebrity Apprentice."
"President Trump has approved a pardon for Darryl Strawberry, three-time World Series champion and eight-time MLB All-Star," a White House official told The Post Friday.
"Mr. Strawberry served time and paid back taxes after pleading guilty to one count of tax evasion.
"Following his career, Mr. Strawberry found faith in Christianity and has been sober for over a decade – he has become active in ministry and started a recovery center which still operates today."
Strawberry, now 63, is the second member of the "Celebrity Apprentice" season 3 cast to receive presidential clemency, joining former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich — whom Trump pardoned in February, five years after commuting Blagojevich's 14-year sentence on federal corruption charges, most notably soliciting bribes in exchange for an appointment to the Senate seat held by then-President-elect Barack Obama.
Strawberry and Blagojevich were eliminated on the third and fourth episodes, respectively, of the reality competition, which was won by Poison frontman Bret Michaels.
The former slugger was sentenced to three years' probation and repaid $350,000 in back taxes and penalties following his guilty plea, in addition to serving six months of home confinement.
The 1983 National League Rookie of the Year — who hit 335 home runs and drove in exactly 1,000 runs during a 17-year career with the Mets, Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Francisco Giants — was one of the biggest baseball stars of the 1980s and pegged by many as a surefire Hall of Famer.
Prior to the 1985 season, Strawberry signed a six-year contract extension with the Mets that paid him $7.1 million — $700,000 of which was set aside as an interest-bearing annuity, and was auctioned off by the IRS following his tax case.



