The Poynter Institute Menu Donate State Editions * California * Florida * Iowa * Michigan * New Hampshire * New York * North Carolina * Pennsylvania * Texas * West Virginia * Wisconsin Issues * All Issues * Online hoaxes * Coronavirus * Health Care * Immigration * Extremism * Taxes * Marijuana * Environment * Crime * Guns * Foreign Policy * LGBTQ+ People * Joe Biden * Kamala Harris * Donald Trump * Mitch McConnell * Hakeem Jeffries * Ron DeSantis Media * PunditFact * Tucker Carlson * Sean Hannity * Rachel Maddow * Bloggers * PolitiFact Videos Campaigns * 2024 Elections Truth-o-Meter * True * Mostly True * Half True * Mostly False * False * Pants on Fire Promises * Biden Promise Tracker * Trump-O-Meter * Obameter * Latest Promises About Us * Our Process * Our Staff * En Español * Who pays for PolitiFact? * Advertise with Us * Suggest a Fact-check * Corrections and Updates * Newsletters Donate #### Follow us The Facts Newsletter Sign up English Español ### Stand up for the facts! Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy. We need your help. More Info ### I would like to contribute One Time Monthly Yearly Join Now ![](\\" mugs-mug- independentgroup__________________3/98605b4996e42408507987c4affd735f.jpg\\") ![](\\" mugs-mug- independentgroup__________________3/d34069b2fffce57ddf492536b7c1e859.jpg\\") UndergroundNewsReport.com stated on February 28, 2017 in an Internet post: \"Man pardoned by Obama three months ago arrested for murder.\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" ![\\"pants- fire\\"](\\" * Fake news * PunditFact * UndergroundNewsReport.com ![\\"Joshua](\\" By Joshua Gillin March 6, 2017 # Report of man pardoned by Obama being arrested for murder is fake The author of a contrived news story about a man being arrested for killing his girlfriend after being pardoned by President Barack Obama says he made it up to show how easily people believe fake news. \"Man pardoned by Obama 3 months ago arrested for murder,\" read the headline on a Feb. 28, 2017, story on UndergroundNewsReport.com. Facebook flagged the story as being potentially false as part of its efforts to fight fake news in users’ feeds. The story has been shared on Facebook more than 23,000 times since being posted less than a week ago. The tale has wound up on other websites since then. The post claims a Gainesville, Fla., man named James G. Winters was arrested for killing girlfriend Joanna Walker and leaving her body in a car trunk in Orlando. Winters, it says, was pardoned by Obama just 94 days ago, freeing him from a life sentence for drug trafficking and weapons charges. These details are fake, although as in many fake news stories, there are some real roots to the premise. Obama granted 1,715 commutations and 212 pardons, the most of any president since Harry Truman. Many of these criminals were nonviolent drug offenders serving exceptionally long sentences under strict federal guidelines from decades ago. Obama had made easing these punishments a campaign promise, and had sought to aid hundreds of people who slipped through the cracks under sentencing revisions created through the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010. Part of Obama’s actions included granting pardons and sentence commutations. (We wrote an entire story about it, which you can read here.) One story circulated by Obama detractors was of Wendell Callahan, a convicted crack dealer who in 2016 was charged with killing a woman and her two children in Columbus, Ohio. Callahan had been freed under changes in the 2010 law, which Obama supported and signed. Callahan’s case is pending. #### Featured Fact-check ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on August 16, 2024 in an Instagram post The World Health Organization ordered governments to prepare for “mega lockdown” because of an mpox strain. ![\\"true\\"](\\" false/33efdb6633e5e2fdc2d4e2f63383a1e0.jpg.\\") ![\\"false\\"](\\" false.jpg\\") By Sofia Ahmed • August 20, 2024 But Winters hadn’t been freed by Obama, either by pardon or commutation. There is no James Winters on the list of 1,927 prisoners affected by executive action. The photo on the story is of Avery Draughty, a California man convicted of killing his neighbor in 2016. A closer look at the story UndergroundNewsReport.com shows that the site purposely writes outlandish stories to trick readers. The site contains a disclaimer that says all articles \"are fiction, and presumably fake news.\" There also is a link at the end of the story that redirects readers to an explanation that the website’s owner had created it to see if he could fool readers, specifically supporters of President Donald Trump. The article said the writer circulated his fake stories on \"Trump fan groups\" to see if they would take the bait. \"To my surprise, the Trump masses embraced my stories as fact, almost universally,\" the author wrote. \"It seemed that there wasn’t anything I could write that was too wild or outrageous to be believed by this particular audience.\" When we contacted him via email, the writer identified himself as James McDaniel, a 28-year-old U.S. citizen living in Costa Rica. (The site is privately registered in Scottsdale, Ariz.) \"I admit I kind of stumbled into this on accident just playing around and didn\'t really expect to get any attention at first,\" McDaniel wrote. \"People proved to be far more gullible than I previously thought.\" This claim rates Pants On Fire! Share the Facts Politifact ![\\"Politifact\\"](\\" logo-big.jpg\\"/) 5 6 ![\\"Politifact](\\" facts/rating_images/politifact/tom-pof.png\\") Politifact Rating: Pants on Fire \"Man pardoned by Obama three months ago arrested for murder.\" UndergroundNewsReport.com website ![](\\" independentgroup__________________3.jpg\\") in an Internet post Tuesday, February 28, 2017 02/28/2017 Read More info #### Read About Our Process The Principles of the Truth-O-Meter ### Our Sources UndergroundNewsReport.com, \"Man pardoned by Obama 3 months ago arrested for murder,\" Feb. 28, 2017 U.S. Justice Department, \"Pardons granted by President Barack Obama (2009-2017),\" accessed March 6, 2017 Pew Research Center, \"Obama used clemency power more often than any president since Truman,\" Jan. 20, 2017 PolitiFact, \"The Obameter: From drug sentencing to commutations, Obama altered prison landscape,\" Jan. 6, 2017 JudicialWatch.org, \"Crack Dealer Freed Early Under Obama Plan Murders Woman, 2 Kids,\" March 2, 2016 Columbus Dispatch, \"Man charged with killing woman, 2 daughters had early prison release,\" Jan. 12, 2016 Interview with James McDaniel, UndergroundNewsReport.com administrator, March 6, 2016 ## Browse the Truth-O-Meter ### More by Joshua Gillin slide 4 to 6 of 15 ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on October 9, 2017 in Internet posts: A viral image shows LeBron James wearing a T-shirt that reads, \"We march, y’all mad. We sit down, y’all mad. We speak up, y’all mad. We die, y’all silent.\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Joshua Gillin • October 12, 2017 ![](\\" ![](\\" Bloggers stated on October 9, 2017 in a headline: \"President Trump signs executive order stripping NFL of ‘non-profit’ status.\" ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Joshua Gillin • October 10, 2017 ![](\\" mugs-mug- independentgroup__________________3/98605b4996e42408507987c4affd735f.jpg\\") ![](\\" mugs-mug- independentgroup__________________3/d34069b2fffce57ddf492536b7c1e859.jpg\\") AsAmericanAsApplePie.org stated on October 8, 2017 in a headline: \"Jason Aldean gig canceled after he sells out to liberals on ‘SNL’.\" ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Joshua Gillin • October 10, 2017 ![](\\" mugs-mug- independentgroup__________________3/98605b4996e42408507987c4affd735f.jpg\\") ![](\\" mugs-mug- independentgroup__________________3/d34069b2fffce57ddf492536b7c1e859.jpg\\") FreedomJunkshun.com stated on November 6, 2017 in a headline: \"Supreme Court issues its first bench warrant ever.\" ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Susan Areson • November 9, 2017 ![](\\" mugs-mug- independentgroup__________________3/98605b4996e42408507987c4affd735f.jpg\\") ![](\\" mugs-mug- independentgroup__________________3/d34069b2fffce57ddf492536b7c1e859.jpg\\") React365.com stated on November 7, 2017 in an Internet post: Says the University of Florida \"requests to cancel rivalry game\" against Florida State University. ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Joshua Gillin • November 7, 2017 ![](\\" mugs-mug- independentgroup__________________3/98605b4996e42408507987c4affd735f.jpg\\") ![](\\" mugs-mug- independentgroup__________________3/d34069b2fffce57ddf492536b7c1e859.jpg\\") YourNewsWire.com stated on November 5, 2017 in an Internet post: \"Texas Church shooter was Antifa and wanted to start (a) ‘communist revolution.’ \" ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Joshua Gillin • November 6, 2017 ![](\\" ![](\\" Sebastian Gorka stated on November 1, 2017 in an appearance on \'Hannity\': Says Jake Tapper said Allahu Akbar was a \"beautiful phrase\" after a terrorist attack in New York. ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Joshua Gillin • November 2, 2017 ![](\\" ![](\\" Bloggers stated on October 6, 2017 in Internet posts: \"California Democrat Maxine Waters charged on 3 counts.\" ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Joshua Gillin • November 2, 2017 ![](\\" ![](\\" Bloggers stated on October 29, 2017 in Internet posts: Says actor Morgan Freeman said, \"Jailing Hillary\" is the best way to \"restore public faith in government.\" ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Joshua Gillin • November 1, 2017 ![](\\" mugs-mug- independentgroup__________________3/98605b4996e42408507987c4affd735f.jpg\\") ![](\\" mugs-mug- independentgroup__________________3/d34069b2fffce57ddf492536b7c1e859.jpg\\") FreedomJunkshun.com stated on October 28, 2017 in a headline: \"Hillary Clinton leaves the country as Mueller indictment is announced.\" ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Joshua Gillin • October 31, 2017 ![](\\" mugs-mug- independentgroup__________________3/98605b4996e42408507987c4affd735f.jpg\\") ![](\\" mugs-mug- independentgroup__________________3/d34069b2fffce57ddf492536b7c1e859.jpg\\") FreedomJunkshun.com stated on October 27, 2017 in a headline: \"Breitbart leaks names of four Dems being charged in Mueller’s Russia probe.\" ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Joshua Gillin • October 31, 2017 ![](\\" michaelmoore/d10e6fe97230119369c8f19eb11ae6a3.jpg\\") ![](\\" michaelmoore/24d3cd2ad61b2369eb03420edf082419.jpg\\") Michael Moore stated on October 4, 2017 in a Facebook post: \"People who die from a home invasion make up a sad but minuscule .04% of all gun murders in the U.S. And over a third of them are killed by their own gun that the criminal has either stolen or wrestled from them.\" ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Joshua Gillin • October 25, 2017 ![](\\" mugs-mug- independentgroup__________________3/98605b4996e42408507987c4affd735f.jpg\\") ![](\\" mugs-mug- independentgroup__________________3/d34069b2fffce57ddf492536b7c1e859.jpg\\") React365.com stated on October 23, 2017 in a headline: \"Tulsa school closes after brutal fire.\" ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Joshua Gillin • October 23, 2017 ![](\\" mugs-mug- independentgroup__________________3/98605b4996e42408507987c4affd735f.jpg\\") ![](\\" mugs-mug- independentgroup__________________3/d34069b2fffce57ddf492536b7c1e859.jpg\\") AsAmericanAsApplePie.org stated on October 16, 2017 in a headline: \"Hillary (Clinton) caught on tape laughing about (Hurricane) Irma ‘wiping out all of those Florida hillbillies’.\" ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Joshua Gillin • October 18, 2017 ![](\\" mugs-mug- independentgroup__________________3/98605b4996e42408507987c4affd735f.jpg\\") ![](\\" mugs-mug- independentgroup__________________3/d34069b2fffce57ddf492536b7c1e859.jpg\\") AsAmericanAsApplePie.org stated on October 15, 2017 in a headline: \"San Juan city council votes unanimously to impeach Trump-hating mayor.\" ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Joshua Gillin • October 17, 2017 ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on October 9, 2017 in Internet posts: A viral image shows LeBron James wearing a T-shirt that reads, \"We march, y’all mad. We sit down, y’all mad. We speak up, y’all mad. We die, y’all silent.\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Joshua Gillin • October 12, 2017 ![](\\" ![](\\" Bloggers stated on October 9, 2017 in a headline: \"President Trump signs executive order stripping NFL of ‘non-profit’ status.\" ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Joshua Gillin • October 10, 2017 ![](\\" mugs-mug- independentgroup__________________3/98605b4996e42408507987c4affd735f.jpg\\") ![](\\" mugs-mug- independentgroup__________________3/d34069b2fffce57ddf492536b7c1e859.jpg\\") AsAmericanAsApplePie.org stated on October 8, 2017 in a headline: \"Jason Aldean gig canceled after he sells out to liberals on ‘SNL’.\" ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Joshua Gillin • October 10, 2017 ![](\\" mugs-mug- independentgroup__________________3/98605b4996e42408507987c4affd735f.jpg\\") ![](\\" mugs-mug- independentgroup__________________3/d34069b2fffce57ddf492536b7c1e859.jpg\\") FreedomJunkshun.com stated on November 6, 2017 in a headline: \"Supreme Court issues its first bench warrant ever.\" ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Susan Areson • November 9, 2017 ![](\\" mugs-mug- independentgroup__________________3/98605b4996e42408507987c4affd735f.jpg\\") ![](\\" mugs-mug- independentgroup__________________3/d34069b2fffce57ddf492536b7c1e859.jpg\\") React365.com stated on November 7, 2017 in an Internet post: Says the University of Florida \"requests to cancel rivalry game\" against Florida State University. ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Joshua Gillin • November 7, 2017 ![](\\" mugs-mug- independentgroup__________________3/98605b4996e42408507987c4affd735f.jpg\\") ![](\\" mugs-mug- independentgroup__________________3/d34069b2fffce57ddf492536b7c1e859.jpg\\") YourNewsWire.com stated on November 5, 2017 in an Internet post: \"Texas Church shooter was Antifa and wanted to start (a) ‘communist revolution.’ \" ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Joshua Gillin • November 6, 2017 ### Report of man pardoned by Obama being arrested for murder is fake * ![](\\" ![](\\" Instagram posts stated on September 9, 2024 in a post: Video shows Tim Walz “falsely claims that being gay in Nebraska is ‘illegal’\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Grace Abels • September 11, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Social Media stated on September 10, 2024 in social media posts: Vice President Kamala Harris wore NOVA H1 audio earrings in the Sept. 10, 2024, presidential debate. ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Loreben Tuquero • September 11, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Kamala Harris stated on September 10, 2024 in a debate: “As of today, there is not one member of the United States military who is in active duty in a combat zone, in any war zone around the world, for the first time this century.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Sara Swann • September 11, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" X posts stated on September 9, 2024 in an X post: \"Dallas County Texas (tells) election workers to (illegally) lie on registration & use a church address to register homeless people to vote!” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Jeff Cercone • September 11, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Instagram posts stated on September 7, 2024 in a post: CNN reported that the Apalachee High School shooting suspect was motivated by a “lack of trans acceptance.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Sara Swann • September 11, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on September 2, 2024 in an Instagram post: Image shows “Michelle Obama’s necklace from DNC speech” said “Mike.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 11, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on September 10, 2024 in at a Sept. 10 presidential debate: \"In Springfield (Ohio), they\'re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they\'re eating the cats. They\'re eating, they\'re eating the pets of the people that live there.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Jeff Cercone • September 11, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Social Media stated on September 6, 2024 in in social media posts: Haitian immigrants are eating pets and wildlife in Springfield, Ohio. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Jeff Cercone • September 9, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Social Media stated on September 2, 2024 in social media posts: The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club is on the way to Aurora, Colorado, to confront a Venezuelan gang. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Loreben Tuquero • September 9, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Kamala Harris stated on July 20, 2024 in remarks at a fundraiser in Provincetown, Mass.: Donald Trump “took away protections against discrimination for LGBTQ patients under the Affordable Care Act.” ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" mostly-true.jpg\\") By Grace Abels • September 9, 2024 Load more ### Support independent fact-checking. Become a member! In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts. Sign me up #### Offices District of Columbia 1800 I Street NW Washington, DC 20006 Florida 801 3rd St. S St. Petersburg, FL 33701 727-821-9494 #### People * Joe Biden * Kamala Harris * Donald Trump * Mitch McConnell * Hakeem Jeffries * Ron DeSantis #### State Editions * California * Florida * Iowa * Michigan * New Hampshire * New York * North Carolina * Pennsylvania * Texas * West Virginia * Wisconsin #### About Us * Our Process * Our Staff * En Español * Who pays for PolitiFact? * Advertise with Us * Corrections and Updates * Newsletters #### RSS Feeds * Recent Articles and Fact-checks * Recent Fact-checks Suggest a Fact-check #### Follow us The Facts Newsletter Sign up Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Copyright ©All Rights Reserved Poynter Institute 2020, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization ![\\"\\"](\\" * * * ✕
Man pardoned by Obama three months ago arrested for murder