Biden told the country his mass clemency release was for "non-violent drug offenders serving disproportionately long sentences."
Oscar Fowler had a video-recorded admission to a murder – 25 gunshot wounds – sitting in a 2024 federal sentencing memo when Biden's machine signed his name and cut Fowler's 12.5-year sentence loose.
Four days after Fowler walked out of federal prison, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier had him right back in handcuffs – and now he's staring down 45 years in state prison.
What Fowler Walked Back Into
St. Petersburg Police arrested Oscar Fowler III on February 23, 2026, on two counts of intent to sell a controlled substance and one count of felon in possession of a firearm – the same crimes that landed him in federal custody in the first place.
In October 2023, federal agents executed a search warrant at Fowler's home and found cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, and a 9mm pistol loaded with a 29-round high-capacity magazine.
He pleaded guilty in 2024 and federal prosecutors asked for at least 150 months behind bars, warning the court he was an ongoing threat to the public.
Fowler's criminal history starts at age 12 – 13 juvenile adjudications including battery on a law enforcement officer and grand theft auto.
https://twitter.com/sacsheriff/status/2026066143480516643?s=20
Then came the 2013 murder of Naykee Bostic in St. Petersburg, found with 25 gunshot wounds shortly after Fowler had been released from a previous federal stint.
Fowler was acquitted after two mistrials, but a 2024 sentencing memorandum noted he made a video-recorded admission to the killing and told investigators he was willing to use violence again.
Biden's autopen set him free anyway.
Florida Just Opened the Floodgates on Every Biden Autopen Commutation
Here's what Biden never explained: the three clemency warrants covering those 2,500 releases were flagged by Biden's own Justice Department career officials as "highly problematic."
Bradley Winsheimer, a DOJ career official, raised alarms about the clarity and legality of the warrants before they went out.
Nobody stopped it.
https://twitter.com/AGJamesUthmeier/status/2026333547775050167?s=20
The House Oversight Committee's 100-page October 2025 report concluded Biden "was losing command of himself" while in office and that his inner circle "colluded to mislead the public" about his capacity to function independently.
Chief of Staff Jeff Zients oversaw the autopen signatures.
While Biden couldn't hold a press conference without a cheat sheet, his staff was mechanically signing violent felons back onto American streets – and the man whose name was on the paperwork may not have known who any of them were.
The report also found that White House aides sought sign-offs from Kamala Harris on clemency decisions – a direct constitutional violation, since pardoning authority belongs solely to the president.
So Biden didn't sign it. His staff ran the machine. And when they needed cover, they went to Harris.
The Oversight Project warned Florida officials before Fowler's release that he was dangerous and coming home.
The DOJ released him anyway.
Attorney General Uthmeier didn't stop at Fowler's arrest – he directed the Office of Statewide Prosecution to review every Biden autopen commutation and pardon affecting Florida, every single one, to determine whether state charges are viable.
"Auto-pen accountability starts today," Uthmeier announced.
Fowler isn't the only Biden clemency recipient back in trouble.
https://twitter.com/AGJamesUthmeier/status/2026313112421298497?s=20
A Texas man named Dequan Willard was granted Biden clemency and arrested seven days later for violating supervised release conditions.
A convicted child murderer whose death sentence was commuted by Biden's autopen was subsequently indicted for first-degree murder in Louisiana.
An Omaha gang member had his 20-year sentence reduced by Biden in January 2025 and was arrested less than five months later on a felon in possession of a firearm charge.
That's the part that should make your blood boil – not just that they let these men out, but that nobody in Biden's orbit seemed to know or care who any of them were when they signed them free.
Biden called this a record he was "proud of" – right up until his beneficiaries walked out of prison and went right back to what put them there.
What Biden's autopen couldn't undo, Florida law can.
Sources:
- James Uthmeier, "Attorney General James Uthmeier Announces Arrest of Dangerous Criminal Commuted by Biden Admin Autopen," Florida Attorney General's Office, February 23, 2026.
- Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, "Repeat Offender Labeled 'Danger to the Community' Walks Free After Biden Autopen Clemency," Fox News, February 19, 2026.
- Stephen Dinan, "Florida Arrests Man Released by Biden Autopen Clemency," The Washington Times, February 24, 2026.
- Brian Burns, "Florida Officials Warned As Convicted Felon Slated For Release Under Biden Commutation," Tampa Free Press, February 19, 2026.
- "House Investigation Deems Biden Pardons Void Due to Autopen Signatures, Asks DOJ to Review Legality," The Washington Times, October 28, 2025.
- "Florida AG Announces Arrest of Repeat Offender Whose Federal Sentence Was Commuted in Final Days of Biden Administration," Florida Daily, February 24, 2026.
- Jim Hoft, "Florida Attorney General Announces Arrest of Convicted Felon Commuted by Biden Autopen," The Gateway Pundit, February 24, 2026.
