Former Philadelphia labor boss Johnny Doc released from prison after Trump commutes sentence
Action News spoke to Dougherty's attorney about what might have led to the President's decision.
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The once-powerful Philadelphia labor leader John "Johnny Doc" Dougherty was released from prison Friday afternoon after President Donald Trump granted a commutation of his sentence.
Action News has learned he was released around 3:45 p.m. from a prison in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, about an hour and a half north of Harrisburg.
Dougherty had been serving a six-year sentence after being convicted of bribing a Philadelphia City Council member and stealing nearly $600,000 from the labor union he led for nearly three decades.
"He's a free man right now. He can go home and take care of his wife," said Dougherty's attorney, George Bochetto.
Bochetto said the primary reason Trump is allowing Dougherty out of prison roughly four years early is to help care for his sick wife.
In a statement to Action News, the White House claimed her father had been caring for her but has recently passed away.
"She needs around-the-clock nursing care, and it's very, very expensive and frankly they're out of money," Bochetto said. "She had metastatic brain damage and is essentially paralyzed from the neck down."
Bochetto said the year-and-a-half effort to get him out early involved a series of interviews, submitting documents to the Department of Justice, and proving to the White House why he needed to go home.
"Believe me when I tell you, the Trump administration was very demanding in terms of detailed information and facts that they wanted," Bochetto explained.
"I think he would say it is a magnificent gesture of compassion and the president has really proven that he rises above politics and does the right thing," Bochetto added.
RELATED | Fmr. Philadelphia labor leader John Dougherty convicted of embezzling $650,000 from union
Dougherty was an influential figure within the Democratic Party and led Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers for nearly three decades before his conviction.
In 2024, he was ordered to serve 6 years in prison plus 3 years of supervised release.
In 2021, Dougherty was convicted on bribery charges in a separate trial, along with former city councilmember Bobby Henon.
Stay with Action News as we continue to follow this developing story.
