Am I the only one who is just hearing about the $45 million drug bust through a TUNNEL in a discount store in California that connects to Mexico??!!!
This took place in early June of this year and it’s just now popping up on my feed.

One of the appointed board members of the Washington State Clemency and Pardons Board is repeatedly deciding cases in which he has relationships with the petitioners, the petitioners’ attorneys, and/or witnesses for the petitioners.

The following are examples.

1. Petitioner was mentee, witness was provost of the college that employed the board member.

12/7/23, 9am, first petitioner: The provost of the college that the board member works at testified as a witness. The petitioner described the board member as a mentor. The board member made the motion to recommend granting the commutation.

1. Witness worked for the nonprofit that the board member led.

12/8/23, 1pm, first petitioner: The board member disclosed that he is acquainted with one of the witnesses who would appear and stated that he believed he could be fair. A witness testified on behalf of the petitioner; this witness has described himself as working for the nonprofit organization. The president of the nonprofit voted to recommend granting commutation.

1. Petitioner’s attorney worked for the nonprofit that the board member led.

9/7/23, 9am, second petitioner: A director in 2022 and 2023 of the nonprofit was one of the attorneys on petitioner's legal team. The president of that nonprofit made the grant motion.

1. Witness worked for the foundation that funded the nonprofit the board member led.

9/13/24, 9am, first petitioner: A director of the nonprofit, who was also the policy and advocacy director of a foundation that funds the nonprofit, testified for a petitioner at a hearing while the president of the nonprofit decided whether to recommend clemency.

Sources, including timestamps of the videos/transcript available from tvw.org:

1. 12/7/23:

https://tvw.org/video/washington-state-clemency-pardons-board-2023121144/?eventID=2023121144

Board member introduction: 3:05-3:20

Provost testimony: 25:45-26:00; 30:00-30:45

Mentor description: 1:29:20-1:30:30

1. 12/8/23:

https://tvw.org/video/washington-state-clemency-pardons-board-2023091122/?eventID=2023091122

Limited disclosure of acquaintance: 1:15-1:30

Witness testimony: 46:30-49:00

Witness working for non-profit as project manager: https://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/article264620446.html

1. 12/7/23:

https://tvw.org/video/washington-state-clemency-pardons-board-2023091119/?eventID=2023091119

Director of nonprofit introduces herself as an attorney for the petitioner: 1:10:50-1:11:10

1. 9/13/24:

https://tvw.org/video/washington-state-clemency-and-pardons-board-2024091132/?eventID=2024091132

Testimony of Director of nonprofit and Policy & Advocacy Director of foundation: 1:10:35-1:14:20

Additional:

Description of nonprofit: https://inatai.org/news/grantee/fabians-fund-2/

Leadership of nonprofit: https://inatai.org/team/kazi-joshua/

Nonprofit’s 990 forms, showing directors and funding: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/371871375

Foundation’s leadership: https://inatai.org/our-team/

Foundation’s board (which includes the CBP board member): https://inatai.org/board-of-directors/

Foundation’s 990 forms, showing payment to nonprofit and payment to the board member (Foundation brought the CBP board member on as a paid Foundation board member in March 2023, 6 months after he was appointed to the CBP.): https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/300889914