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Oscar Freemond Fowler III, a repeat offender whose federal sentence was commuted in the final days of the Biden administration, has been taken back into custody to face state charges, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced Monday.
“Moments ago, we took Oscar Fowler, a dangerous career criminal who was commuted by Biden’s autopen, into custody to face state charges,” Uthmeier wrote in a post on X.
He thanked the St. Petersburg Police Department and ATF Tampa for assisting in the arrest, adding that “Florida is safer because of our local and federal law enforcement partners.”
Fowler had been serving a 12-year, 6-month federal prison sentence after pleading guilty in 2024 to being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
Federal prosecutors had pushed for at least 150 months behind bars, citing Fowler’s lengthy criminal history and arguing he posed an ongoing threat to the public.
Despite that record, Fowler was included in a Jan. 17, 2025 executive grant of clemency commuting the sentences of more than 2,500 inmates under President Joe Biden.
A commutation reduces a sentence but does not erase the conviction. Fowler was released from federal custody as a result.
BIDEN-CLEMENCY CON TIED TO DOWNTOWN SHOOTING MONTHS AFTER EARLY RELEASE – NOW FACES FEDERAL CHARGE
Fowler, a 48-year-old with a decades-long criminal history, is set to be released from federal prison on Thursday, February 19. Fowler is seen here from a 2013 booking photo. (Pinellas County Jail)
The clemency warrant, issued in Washington and bearing Biden’s signature, was one of several documents critics say were executed using an autopen.
Fowler’s release drew scrutiny, particularly from the Oversight Project, a conservative investigative group.
The group warned Florida officials about Fowler’s release and argued his criminal history contradicted claims that the clemency initiative focused on nonviolent offenders.
FELON FREED BY BIDEN ARRESTED AFTER SHOOTING, RAISING FEARS OF MORE ‘SECOND CHANCES’ GONE WRONG
Former President Joe Biden spoke to the paper’s reporters in a 10-minute phone call regarding the growing questions from President Donald Trump and GOP lawmakers about the legality of Biden’s pardons in the final days of his presidency, which were mostly signed using an autopen. (DOJ/Getty)
“He is a dangerous criminal who’s supposed to be in jail for a very long time,” Oversight Project President Mike Howell told Fox News Digital at the time.
“This is the exact person that should be in federal custody,” he said.
As previously reported by Fox News Digital, court records show Fowler’s criminal history spans more than a decade.
The most serious allegations involve the 2013 shooting death of Naykee Bostic in St. Petersburg, which happened shortly after Fowler was released from a prior federal sentence.
TRUMP DOUBLES DOWN ON VOIDING BIDEN AUTOPEN ACTIONS, INCLUDING PARDONS AND COMMUTATIONS
Former President Joe Biden requested executive privilege as the House and Senate investigates his administration’s use of an autopen, Fox Digital learned. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Bostic was found with 25 gunshot wounds. Fowler was charged but acquitted in 2017 after two prior mistrials.
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A 2024 federal sentencing memorandum cited by critics also stated that Fowler made a video-recorded admission to the killing and expressed willingness to use violence again.
These were assertions prosecutors referenced when seeking a long sentence in his most recent case.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Florida attorney general’s office for comment.
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