Gov. Baker Pardons Man 42 Years After Malden Conviction

MALDEN, MA — Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday announced a pardon for a man more than four decades after he was convicted on a series of charges in Malden District Court.

Stephen Polignone was sentenced to one year of probation following a guilty plea in February, 1980 to charges of larceny and altering a motor vehicle license/registration. Forty-two years later, he had backing in a petition for clemency from individuals including Georgetown Police Chief Donald Cudmore and several friends, according to a report from the state Advisory Board of Pardons.

The Board of Pardons said in its report, dated Aug. 15, that there was no arrest report or incident report related to Polignone’s case on file at the Malden Police Department. The board quoted a letter from Polignone, though, who said he wrote at least two bad checks in 1979 when he was 23-years old.

“At the time, I did not use good judgement and was misguided in my actions,” Polignone wrote in hie letter, according to the board.

Polignone said his conviction on these charges was the only conviction he ever had, calling the experience “a life learning and changing event.”

“I deeply regret my action,” Polignone said, according to the Board of Pardons.

Polignone is a lifelong Massachusetts resident, as noted by the board. He is a retired ironworker and a former member of the Georgetown Conservation Commission.

Polignone served in the Air Force in 1974 before being honorably discharged, the board said. He now lives in Georgetown, where the Board of Pardons noted numerous community service and volunteer efforts by Polignone.

Polignone, the Board of Pardons said, told officials earlier this year that he opened a bank account in a false name before writing the bad checks and cashing them using a fake license.

He pled guilty to charges against him, according to the board, and served his probation without incident.

Polignone, the board said, sought a pardon beginning in 2015 due to a desire to lawfully possess a firearm for “protection of life and property.”

Polignone previously had a license to carry in Massachusetts, which he renewed three times over several years, according to the Board of Pardons. He ran into issues in 2008, though, after he bought a rifle in Maine, the board said. A federal Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms agent told him to return the rifle. The agent told Polignone at the time that he would no longer have a license to carry due to his felony conviction, according to the Board of Pardons.

The Board of Pardons said Polignone, a hunter, told officials that he wants to spend time hunting and shooting with his son, who also hunts, among other things.

Polignone’s petition for clemency came with letters from Cudmore and others supporting a pardon.

The Board of Pardons said it heard no testimony or opposition to a pardon for Polignone.

The board ultimately recommended a pardon by a unanimous vote, citing a variety of factors including Polignone’s lack of a criminal record since his conviction, his community involvement and his military service, among other things.

Baker announced Polignone’s pardon on Wednesday alongside four other pardons.

He called the ability to grant pardons, “a very serious responsibility” in his statement.

“All of these individuals have shown a commitment to their communities and rehabilitation since their convictions,” he said. “However, the charges are related to decades-old convictions that continue to have an impact on their lives.”

The pardons will now go to the state Governor’s Council for final review and approval.