Patty Hearst
Who pardoned her: Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton
What she was pardoned for: Bank robbery, using a firearm during the commission of a felony
Why it was controversial: Patty Hearst was kidnapped by left-wing terrorist group the Symbionese Liberation Army. Her defense at trial was that she had been held captive and brainwashed into committing robbery. It didn’t work, and many debated whether it was true. Hearst is the daughter of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst, and her pardon was seen as consequence of her privilege. Author Jeffrey Toobin said, “The fact that she got these two presidential gestures of forgiveness is the purest example of privilege on display that frankly I have ever seen in the criminal justice system today.”