![\"Rhonda\"](\"http:\/\/www.candoclemency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Rhonda.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
CANDO is elated to report that Rhonda \u00a0is NOW FREE. \u00a0She is an inspiration to so many and got extra good time due to First Step Act.<\/p>\n
Name:<\/strong>\u00a0Rhonda J. Turpin.\u00a0#31460-060 ACCOMPLISHMENTS<\/strong><\/p>\n A. PRIOR TO PRISON<\/strong> “IF YOU CANNOT FIND PEACE WITHIN YOURSELF, YOU WILL NEVER FIND IT A Special message from Rhonda to the public:<\/strong><\/p>\n “THE CELL GIVES YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO OVERCOME THE BAD AND DEVELOP FAMILY HISTORY<\/strong> “EVERYTHING IN LIFE IS A LESSON AND A BLESSING.” Steve Harvey<\/p>\n MY CASE<\/strong><\/p>\n While serving a 24 month sentence for Housing Fraud, that consisted of\u00a0renting to my daughter Tee from Section 8, at Alderson, I received an offer\u00a0for Rule 35, to assist the government on an investigation of a friend. I refused\u00a0due to just wanting to serve my time and get back home to my family. They\u00a0served a new indictment, and I was convicted at a bench trial in front of my\u00a0judge to 15 years, running concurrent, conspiracy to bank fraud and tax fraud. B. The second conspiracy:<\/strong>\u00a0 This conspiracy involved a friend\/my co-defendant’s family tax filing\u00a0service. I allowed her to copy\/use my W-2 on several filings, where children were\u00a0added illegally in order to obtain the IRS Earned Income Credit for increased\u00a0refunds. “A winner will still be who they are, even in prison.” singer Pharrell (Williams)<\/p>\n Description of The Person that I Am:<\/strong><\/p>\n I am an introvert, and love to laugh. I am a devout music lover, and do not\u00a0care for TV. I never watched TV at home either. I even listen to the news\u00a0station on my radio. Where most women get excited about shoes, I get very\u00a0excited about new books. Other inmates notice; I am told through the\u00a0years, “Ms. Rhonda, you always have a book in your hand.” I love to walk and\u00a0dance. I always have. I am not a religious person, but very spiritual, and I\u00a0revel in the awesomeness of God daily. I feel everyone of His Creations are\u00a0Great. People are at different stages of their path in life, but there is no one\u00a0less or greater than me. My parents and grandparents instilled this philosophy\u00a0and now I fully understand it and embrace it. CANDO is elated to report that Rhonda \u00a0is NOW FREE. \u00a0She is an inspiration to so many and got extra good time due to First Step Act. Name:\u00a0Rhonda J. Turpin.\u00a0#31460-060 Race: African American Children: Two daughters; six grandchildren Charge: Conspiracy to commit bank fraud and tax fraud Sentence: 17 years Release Date: 11\/05\/2019 Started Sentence…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4117,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[27],"class_list":["post-3554","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-now-free","tag-can-do-foundation"],"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/sheryanne.com\/cando-new2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Screen-Shot-2016-06-09-at-2.15.44-PM.png",594,622,false],"author_info":{"display_name":"Amy Ralston Povah","author_link":"https:\/\/sheryanne.com\/cando-new2\/author\/candoamy\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":5,"name":"Now Free","slug":"now-free","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":5,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":192,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":5,"category_count":192,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Now Free","category_nicename":"now-free","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":27,"name":"CAN-DO Foundation","slug":"can-do-foundation","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":27,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":461,"filter":"raw"}],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":5,"label":"Now Free"}],"post_tag":[{"value":27,"label":"CAN-DO Foundation"}]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sheryanne.com\/cando-new2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3554","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sheryanne.com\/cando-new2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sheryanne.com\/cando-new2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sheryanne.com\/cando-new2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sheryanne.com\/cando-new2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3554"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sheryanne.com\/cando-new2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3554\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14921,"href":"https:\/\/sheryanne.com\/cando-new2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3554\/revisions\/14921"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sheryanne.com\/cando-new2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4117"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sheryanne.com\/cando-new2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3554"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sheryanne.com\/cando-new2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3554"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sheryanne.com\/cando-new2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3554"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nRace:<\/strong> African American
\nChildren:<\/strong> Two daughters; six grandchildren
\nCharge:<\/strong> Conspiracy to commit bank fraud and tax fraud
\nSentence:<\/strong> 17 years
\nRelease Date: 11\/05\/2019<\/strong>
\nStarted Sentence on:<\/strong> Oct 18, 2004
\nServed:<\/strong> 14 years
\nPriors: <\/strong>Yes
\nPrison Conduct: <\/strong>Good
\nSupporters:<\/strong> CAN-DO Foundation, The LOHM, The Council, family members
\nAccomplishments in Prison:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0I have completed over 40 Ace and Recreation classes
\n* Completed my second apprenticeship from the Department of Labor.
\n*I have been into the community under a program called 2 High 4 The Price, to speak to at risk\u00a0youth at neighborhood high schools and other community agencies that serve at-riskyouth.
\nInstitution:<\/strong>\u00a0FCI Lexington Camp, Lexington, Kentucky
\nClemency petition status:<\/strong>\u00a0Pending with CP14 and OPA<\/p>\n
\nI was an Executive Director of a non-profit, JUMP Inc, and owner of an Internet\u00a0Cafe. I completed my Master’s Degree from Cleveland State University earlier in life.\u00a0Before coming to prison I was a funding consultant and grantwriter for 24 agencies\u00a0that included churches and Universities.
\nB. WHILE IN PRISON<\/strong>
\n* I completed my doctorate degree in Sociology on Jan 9,2018;
\n* Completed anapprenticeship in Office Management from the Department
\nOf Labor;
\n*Completed the public speaking and mentoring program, 2 High 4 The Price,
\nwhere we went out to several high schools and an Alternative School to speak and
\ninteract with at-risk and high risk youth.
\n* I am what people consideer a jailhouse lawyer, especially for women with language barriers.
\n* Dec. 2013, and Dec. 2014, was the liaison for Justice Is Healing; we provided
\nover 100 mothers with x-mas gifts for their children.
\n*I consistently teach Grantwriting and small business classes, since my first year in prison.
\n* I instructed two financial management classes for the month of July 2016,
\nto two separate groups of women.
\n* I have over 40 Education ACE class certificates, and just as many recreation
\nactivity certificates.
\n*Teaching a Health Class once a week for Cadre women to inform about prevention
\nof diabetes, heart attack, and Blood Pressure..
\n* I have developed a new passion for writing books!
\nIn 2004, with Martha Stewart mentoring me on my first book, In Prison With\u00a0Martha Stewart, was the start of my writing career; In 2006, I wrote, The Game\u00a0Is Dead, a fiction story with a supernatural twist; In 2010, I wrote Free Money\u00a0In America, that tells you how to obtain and keep grant money; and in 2013,\u00a0I wrote In Prison With Lauryn(Hill);
\nC. AFTER PRISON<\/strong>
\nOnce released, I have a job waiting for me with a decent salary as an office\u00a0manager for a fiber optics company in Ohio full-time. I will continue to\u00a0write books and articles, and have two new books coming out this year.\u00a0I am a funding consultant, and will assist non-profit agencies receive grants.\u00a0My most important role with the next half of my life:\u00a0caregiver to my five grandchildren\/Tee’s legacy, and Grandma to my six\u00a0grandchildren! I am excited about what’s to come.<\/p>\n
\nANYWHERE ELSE.” Marvin Gaye, 1939-1984<\/p>\n
\nWHATEVER IS GOOD IN YOU.” Nelson Mandela, Kroonstad Prison, Feb. 1975<\/p>\n
\nMy family names are Turpin, McMullin, and Gilliam.
\nMy family migrated during the Northern Migration, with my Mom’s family\u00a0coming from Vicksburg Mississippi in 1945, and my paternal family coming from\u00a0Louisiana in 1940. Both my parents, and all of my grandparents are now\u00a0deceased. I am the oldest living Matriarch of our family, and the staple.\u00a0I keep my family together and try to keep the peace from prison, as I did at\u00a0home.
\nI am from Cleveland Ohio. I birthed two daughters. My first born, “Tee”,\u00a0(September 27, 1975 to May 8, 2014) died of a freak bike accident and left me\u00a0five beautiful grandkids as her legacy, ranging from ages 19 to 7. Daya, my\u00a0oldest granddaughter, is beginning her second year on full 4-year academic\u00a0scholarship. She is the first in our family history to ever receive an academic\u00a0scholarship! My youngest daughter, Netta, has one son, and is temporarily\u00a0caring for Tee’s other five children until I get there, giving me a total of six\u00a0grandchildren- 3 girls, and 3 boys- the Turpin Bunch.
\nUpon my release, I will be making a home for Tee’s five children. Their\u00a0furniture from their home is still being stored. It is time for their lives to\u00a0be restored to full normalcy, and they are a full restoration for my life, and\u00a0I am excited about the challenge\/assignment. I have a checkered past, and\u00a0was not always physically there for my daughters, so this is my second chance\u00a0at parenting also.<\/p>\n
\nI QUALIFY FOR CAN-DO CLEMENCY PROJECT BECAUSE I WAS SENTENCED UNDER\u00a0THE HARRISON NARCOTICS ACT OF 1929, instead of using the guidelines.\u00a0I have won two direct appeals on this issue, and took it to the U.S. Supreme\u00a0Court. I was able to drop eight months off my sentence representing myself.\u00a0MY CASE IS THE ONLY WHITE COLLAR CASE IN THE COUNTRY USING A\u00a0NARCOTICS ACT AND STATUTE TO CALCULATE MY SENTENCE.
\nA. My case involves two conspiracies.<\/strong>
\nThe First conspiracy was when an employee\/\u00a0my co-defendant of CitiFinancial, arranged a fraudulent non-collateral loan check\u00a0scheme. The checks were cashed at banks, creating federal bank fraud violations.\u00a0I verified employment for several of my co-defendants using a burn-out phone,\u00a0knowing my actions were fraudulent and illegal.<\/p>\n
\nI grew up in Lakeview Terrace Projects, on the Westside of Cleveland Ohio.\u00a0Since I was a little girl, I was always drawn to bad boys and the street element\u00a0and iconoclasts. Crime does not pay. It destroys on so many levels is what\u00a0I know today.\u00a0I apologize to society for being involved in this sort of criminal behavior, and\u00a0discovered it was a character flaw in me and my thinking that I have worked on\u00a0with professionals and while spending lots of time alone. I am ready to be\u00a0the person I was destined to be.<\/p>\n
\nWho I would like to become:<\/strong>
\n“Dr” Turpin!, speaking at events and Universities on the need to dismantle\u00a0mass incarceration. I am a follower and full supporter of Van Jones, CUT50.org. I will also be the best caregiver and grandmother ever to my\u00a0grandchildren waiting on me, and a pillar to my family and community.\u00a0It is all very positive and exciting for me.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"