President Trump commuted the six-year prison sentence of former Philadelphia labor leader John Dougherty on Wednesday, according to Dougherty’s attorney, George Bochetto, who says the move will allow Dougherty to care for his gravely ill wife.
“President Trump has signed a commutation so that Johnny Doc can be released from prison to take care of his gravely ill wife, Cecilia Dougherty,” Bochetto told CBS News Philadelphia. He added that Cecilia Dougherty’s private nursing funds have run dry and that she urgently needs her husband by her side.
The commutation comes after Dougherty’s earlier request for clemency was denied by the Justice Department’s Office of the Pardon Attorney in July.
Bochetto praised the president for the decision, noting the political optics involved. “It’s no secret that Johnny Dougherty was a powerful Democratic politician working for Democrats in Democratic elections across the board, and for a Republican president to step up and grant this kind of compassionate release I think really says a lot about the man,” he said.
Dougherty served as business manager for International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 98 in Philadelphia. He was convicted in 2023 of embezzling more than $600,000 from the union. He was also convicted in a separate 2021 federal corruption trial on one count of conspiracy to commit honest services fraud and seven counts of honest services wire fraud. Prosecutors alleged Dougherty traded perks, including Philadelphia Eagles tickets and a union salary with benefits, to former City Councilmember Bobby Henon in exchange for influence at City Hall. His six-year sentence covered both cases.
While Bochetto said he had not personally spoken with Dougherty about the commutation as of Thursday night, Dougherty’s wife Cecilia reportedly reacted with joy at the news that her husband would be coming home, according to NBC10 Philadelphia. Bochetto indicated Dougherty could walk free as early as Thursday night or Friday. He had served two years of his six-year term.
The commutation adds to a series of clemency actions from the Trump administration and is likely to draw scrutiny given Dougherty’s long history as a major Democratic power broker in Pennsylvania politics.
