Governor's Christmas Gift to Robert Downey Jr.: Drug Conviction Pardon

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - Gov. Jerry Brown gave an early Christmas present to Robert Downey Jr. on Thursday, pardoning the Oscar-nominated actor for drug and weapon offenses in the 1990s that landed him behind bars.

Downey was one of 91 people to receive gubernatorial pardons.

According to the pardon, since serving more than a year in prison and nearly three years on probation, ending in December 2002, Downey “has lived an honest an upright life, exhibited good moral character and conducted himself as a law-abiding citizen.”

It goes on to note that “by completion of his sentence and good conduct in the community of his residence since his release, Robert John Downey Jr. has paid his debt to society and earned a full and unconditional pardon.”

Downey, now 50, was convicted in the mid-1990s of possession of a controlled substance, carrying a concealed weapon in a vehicle with a prior conviction, driving under the influence with priors and use or being under the influence of a controlled substance.

Downey was nominated for a best-actor Oscar in 1993 for “Chaplin,” and received a supporting-actor nod in 2009 for “Tropic Thunder.”

--City News Service, photo courtesy of Disney