GOVERNOR PATERSON ANNOUNCES PARDON OF RICKY "SLICK RICK" WALTERS

http://www.state.ny.us/governor/press/press_0523082.html

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 23, 2008

GOVERNOR PATERSON ANNOUNCES PARDON OF RICKY "SLICK RICK" WALTERS

Governor David A. Paterson announced today that he has granted Ricky Walters
a full and unconditional pardon of his 1991 attempted murder and weapon
convictions, in order to allow Walters to seek relief from deportation from
the federal immigration courts. Mr. Walters, who was born in the United
Kingdom, was lawfully admitted to the United States at age 11, and he was
raised in the Bronx. At the time of his crimes, Mr. Walters was a
newly-famous hip-hop artist known as "Slick Rick," who has since been
credited with being a pioneer in the development of hip-hop as a mainstream
musical genre. Walters was incarcerated for six years, and was released from
prison in 1997.

"Mr. Walters has fully served the sentence imposed upon him for his
convictions, had an exemplary disciplinary record while in prison and on
parole, and has been living without incident in the community for more than
10 years," said Governor Paterson. "In that time, he has volunteered at
youth outreach programs to counsel youth against violence, and has become a
symbol of rehabilitation for many young people. Given these demonstrated
rehabilitative efforts, I urge federal immigration officials to once again
grant Mr. Walters relief from deportation, so that he is not separated from
his many family members who are United States citizens, including his two
teenage children."

Mr. Walters faces deportation under a federal statute that mandates the
removal of a lawful resident alien upon conviction of an aggravated felony
or a weapon offense. For certain offenses removal can be avoided by a
Governor's pardon, but for weapon offenses, even after receiving a pardon, a
non-citizen must seek discretionary relief from deportation from the
immigration court. Mr. Walters was granted such relief by an immigration
court in 1995, but that decision was later vacated because the Board of
Immigration Appeals issued its decision 33 days after the expiration of a
statutory deadline. Mr. Walters has been unable to re-apply for
discretionary adjustment of his immigration status because of his attempted
murder convictions, but he will be eligible to do so as a result of the
Governor's pardon.

In 1991, Mr. Walters pleaded guilty in Bronx County Supreme Court to two
counts of attempted murder and eight weapons offenses arising from an
incident in which Walters shot his cousin and an innocent bystander, both of
whom survived the shooting. Walters' cousin had made previous threats
against Walters, and Walters believed his cousin had arranged at least one
previous attempt on his life. Mr. Walters, who was 25 years old at the time
of the incident, was sentenced to a term of 3? to 10 years in prison. He was
released to parole in 1997, and was discharged from parole supervision in
2000.

In June 1995, an immigration judge terminated deportation proceedings
against Walters and granted him a waiver of inadmissibility and an
adjustment of status that allowed Walters to remain in this country despite
his convictions. The judge's decision was based on, among other things, the
"unusual and outstanding equities" of his case. Later that year, the Board
of Immigration Appeals found that this relief "appears to be in the best
interest of the country," but the Board later vacated its decision on a
technical ground - that it had no authority to act because on the day of its
decision, Walters had served five years and 33 days in prison, 33 days more
than statutorily permitted for a waiver of inadmissibility. Walters' legal
challenges to this decision have been unsuccessful, and he could soon be
deported, unless the immigration courts agree to reconsider his request for
adjustment of status in light of the Governor's pardon.

Mr. Walters, who is now 43 years old, has lived in the Bronx without
incident since his release from prison in 1997. He is presently employed as
a landlord and rap musician. Mr. Walters has a wife and two children, all of
whom are American citizens.