President Donald Trump has commuted the prison sentence of John “Johnny Doc” Dougherty, a former business manager for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 98, according to Dougherty’s lawyer, George Bochetto. The commutation, signed by Trump on Thursday, is expected to lead to Dougherty’s immediate release from prison.
Bochetto confirmed to Fox News Digital that the commutation also waives approximately $1.6 million in restitution that Dougherty was ordered to pay. Dougherty will reportedly be released without monitoring or house arrest.
Dougherty was sentenced in 2024 to six years in prison. The U.S. Justice Department stated that his sentencing was connected to charges of embezzling funds from the union and making illegal payouts to a Philadelphia City Council member. Then-U.S. Attorney Jacqueline Romero remarked at the time that Dougherty had acted as Local 98’s “biggest booster” while simultaneously “ripping them off” and that he had also “cheated Philadelphians” through a corrupt arrangement with former City Council member Bobby Henon.
Bochetto described the commutation as a “compassionate release” that was “remarkable in its humanity” and noted the bipartisan nature of the decision, given Dougherty’s status as a Democratic political figure. He expressed pride in Trump for the action and stated that Dougherty’s gravely ill wife would now have her husband by her side.