Governor Healey Recommends Six Pardons, Nominates Three Superior Court Judges

Boston - On November 6, 2024, Governor Healey recommended six individuals to receive pardons and nominated three attorneys as Associate Justices to the Superior Court. Those being recommended for pardons are Anthony Tindal, David Palazzo, Kira Pareseau, Mynor-Deane Martino Boland, Richard Barnes and Robert Tober. Those being nominated to serve as Associate Justices of the Superior Court are Sarah G. Kim, Ira Gant and Adam Hornstine.  

The Governor’s Council will now consider the pardon recommendations and judicial nominees for confirmation.

“I’m proud to continue our administration’s efforts to use clemency as a tool to center fairness and equity in our criminal justice system and help these individuals move forward with their educations, their careers and their lives,” said Governor Maura Healey. “I'm also pleased to nominate these three highly qualified attorneys to help uphold the law, protect freedoms and maintain fairness on the Superior Court. I’m grateful to the Governor’s Council for their consideration of these recommendations and nominations.”

“I am excited to work with the Governor’s Council to move these nominations and recommendations forward and ensure that we continue to have a fair and balanced criminal justice system,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “I also want to thank the Advisory Board of Pardons and the Judicial Nominating Commission for their thoughtful work in moving these forward and ensuring a thoughtful and intentional process for individuals to seek justice.”

Governor Healey has now recommended a total of 22 individuals for pardons since taking office. 15 of those pardons have been approved. She issued more pardons in 2023 than any other Governor in their first year in the past 40 years. Governor Healey also issued new clemency guidelines that align with her administration’s commitment to center fairness and equity in the criminal justice system and issued a nation-leading blanket cannabis pardon that impacted thousands of residents.   

The Superior Court is a trial court of general jurisdiction for Massachusetts and is committed to delivering high-quality justice with dignity and speed. The court's 82 justices sit in 20 courthouses in all 14 state counties. The Superior Court has exclusive original jurisdiction of first-degree murder cases, and has original jurisdiction of all other crimes, civil actions over $50,000, matters where parties are seeking equitable relief, and actions including labor disputes where parties are seeking injunctive relief. The Superior Court also has exclusive authority to convene medical malpractice tribunals, has appellate jurisdiction over certain administrative proceedings, and may hold naturalization sittings in any city or town.  

For more information about the Superior Court, visit its homepage. Governor Healey has previously nominated nine judges to the Superior Court: Michael Pineault, Adam Sisitsky, Tracy Duncan, Sarah Hamilton, John Fraser, Keren Goldenberg, Julie Green, Matthew Nestor and Deepika Shukla.

Pardon recommendations:

Anthony Tindal: Mr. Tindal was convicted of possession with intent to distribute marijuana in 1978 when he was 22 years old. He had been selling marijuana to financially support himself while he was in school. Since completing his sentence, he obtained a GED from Springfield Skills Center and now works in machining and tractor trailing. He is now retired due to bad knees, a back injury and COPD. He recently was denied housing because of his criminal record and is seeking a pardon to clear his name from this more than 40-year-old offense. The Advisory Board unanimously recommended that Mr. Tindal be granted an unconditional pardon.

David Palazzo: Mr. Palazzo was convicted of aiding or abetting with the intent to defraud an insurer, possession of a class B controlled substance and worker’s compensation fraud in the 1980s and 1990s when he was about 20. Since then, he has worked in public service, helping people with disabilities find employment, housing and other resources. He has started a number of recovery programs for people with substance use disorders and has been involved in the Walk for Autism for two decades. He is also an active member of his church, where he co-founds a recovery group. He is seeking a pardon in part to complete his degree in social work and apply for a promotion. The Advisory Board unanimously recommended that Mr. Palazzo be granted an unconditional pardon. 

Kira Pareseau: Ms. Pareseau was convicted of misdemeanor larceny, assault and battery and malicious destruction of property in 1998 and 1999 when she was about 20. At the time, she was suffering from substance use disorder, anxiety and depression. She has been enrolled in community college and is hoping to complete her bachelor’s degree at UMass Lowell. She is seeking a pardon so that she can pursue new educational and work experiences without a criminal record hanging over her head. She has been a volunteer for her church and currently works for a security company. The Advisory Board unanimously recommended that Ms. Pareseau receive a conditional pardon.  

Mynor-Deane Martino Boland: Mr. Boland was convicted of operating a motor vehicle without a license, Operating Under the Influence, possession of marijuana, telecommunications fraud, and unlawful possession of a telecommunication system in 1996 when he was 21 years old. Mr. Boland is now a is a restaurant owner, a volunteer coach and an active member of his community. The Advisory Board unanimously recommended that Mr. Boland be granted an unconditional pardon. 

Richard Barnes: Mr. Barnes was convicted of breaking and entering at night with intent to commit a felony, breaking and entering in the daytime with intent to commit a felony, and larceny in 1968 when he was 17 years old. He has been a self-employed contractor for 25 years. He is active in his community, volunteering with many organizations including the Ellinwood Country Club, Athol American Legion Post 102, Athol YMCA and the Athol-Orange Little League. The Advisory Board unanimously recommended that Mr. Barnes be granted an unconditional pardon.

Robert Tober: Mr. Tober was convicted of larceny in 1987 when he was 28 years old. He has since had an extensive career in public service, including serving in the Army National Guard Reserves, working in education and local government, and assisting the homeless and those suffering from substance use disorder. He also opened a food pantry and teaches Sunday School. Because of this decades-old conviction, he recently lost his job and has faced barriers advancing in his career. The Advisory Board unanimously recommended that Mr. Tober be granted an unconditional pardon.

Superior Court Nominees:

Sarah G. Kim currently serves as a Deputy Treasurer and the General Counsel for the Office of the Treasurer & Receiver General.  As General Counsel, she advises senior staff on strategic policy, procurement, employment and litigation issues.  She also manages the team that provides support on various legal issues and handles state retirement benefit matters before administrative law agencies.  She previously served as the interim Chairperson of the Cannabis Control Commission, and prior to that as an Assistant Attorney General in the Fraud and Financial Crimes Division at the Office of the Attorney General in Boston.  For a significant part of her early career, she was an attorney in the Litigation department of Bingham McCutchen LLP where she litigated civil cases and assisted institutional and individual clients in responding to federal, state, and self-regulatory organization investigations related to potential violations of securities laws.  Attorney Kim has also served for several years as the President of the Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts and Board Chair of the Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence.  She serves on the Board of Directors of the Boys and Girls Club of Boston, and the Board of Directors for the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center. Attorney Kim holds a Bachelor of Art from Dartmouth College and Juris Doctor from Villanova University School of Law.  She lives in Boston.

Ira Gant serves as the Forensic Services Director for the Committee for Public Counsel Services where he oversees forensic litigation support and training for attorneys handling CPCS cases in criminal, juvenile, care and protection and mental health commitment cases. He also currently sits on the state Forensic Science Oversight Board and Commission on Medicolegal Investigation. Attorney Gant previously served as Staff Counsel to the Innocence Program and a Trial Attorney for the Public Defenders Divisions at CPCS, where he represented clients in post-conviction litigation in the Superior Court and the Supreme Judicial Court. Attorney Gant holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Juris Doctor from Northeastern University School of Law. He lives in Norfolk County.

Adam Hornstine currently serves as a Deputy Legal Counsel in the Governor’s Office where he advises on a wide range of legal issues. He is responsible for supervising the legal departments of secretariats, conducting legal reviews of executive orders, legislation, regulation and emergency declarations, and advising the Governor on petitions for pardons and commutations. Mr. Hornstine previously clerked for the Honorable Patti B. Saris of the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts before working as a litigation counsel at WilmerHale and completing a rotation as a Special Assistant District Attorney with the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office. He also served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Trial Division and Managing Attorney of the Constitutional and Administrative Law Division for the Attorney General’s Office. Mr. Hornstine holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Harvard University and Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School and currently teaches political science at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. He resides in Cambridge with his wife and two children.