Crime & Safety

Trump Commutes Former Atlanta Teacher's Prison Sentence

A woman was sentenced to 14 years in prison after her convictions for wire fraud and money laundering with a Decatur business.

DECATUR, GA — President Donald Trump helped a former Atlanta teacher get her sentence commuted Wednesday for an $8 million food stamp scheme.

She was serving 14 years for running a Decatur store called “The Baby Spot,” where welfare recipients illegally exchanged their government benefits for cash, reported the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Rashella Reed, was one of 16 people convicted in 2013 after conspiring to launder millions of dollars from taxpayer-funded food stamp and WIC programs, according to the AJC.

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Trump decided to release her because she used her teaching background to tutor other inmates and facilitate children’s programs at the prison., according to a White House news release.

“Ms. Reed is a model inmate, and many attest to her innate ability to encourage and uplift others despite her circumstances,” the statement read. “Ms. Reed accepts full responsibility for her actions and seeks to continue to make a difference in the lives of others.”

Find out what's happening in Decatur-Avondale Estatesfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

She was released on home confinement after serving more than six years.

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