Woman Seeks Pardon In Gift To First Lady
MONTICELLO, Ill. — In one fell swoop, Peg Bargon turned from an aspiring organic herb farmer into a convicted criminal five years ago, all because she made a feather-adorned present for Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Now Bargon, whose life drastically changed after her arrest and prosecution for violating wildlife protection laws, thinks the least Hillary's husband can do is formally forgive her.
Inside her quaint two-story farmhouse in rolling Piatt County, Bargon works tirelessly on the lengthy application for what she believes will give her personal redemption: a presidential pardon from Bill Clinton before he leaves office.
Reliving the events leading up to her arrest is agonizing, but Bargon, who will apply for clemency Thursday, the fifth anniversary of her prosecution, says a pardon is the only way she can put the surreal event behind her.
"I'm just trying to get my life back," said Bargon, 44, a mother of two boys whose license plates read "HERBS." "Whatever debt I owed, I feel I've paid."
Presidential pardons though, while given to one desperate turkey a year on Thanksgiving, are relatively rare. During Clinton's two terms, he has granted 185 of 1,820 petition requests, including seven last week for crimes ranging from wire fraud and embezzlement to transporting a stolen vehicle across state lines. In 1993, 1994, 1996 and 1997, no one received a pardon or sentence commutation from Clinton. He has denied 655 requests.
This year, both junk-bond king Michael Milken and supporters for the late Illinois Gov. Otto Kerner are seeking pardons to clear their names. But the majority of petitioners are not high-profile names. Many Americans who seek presidential clemency are like Bargon, who wants to be able to check "no" when asked if convicted of a crime.
"In our society, you really carry a target on your back if you have a conviction," said Chicago's Paul Fauteck, a clinical psychologist who was pardoned in 1992 for smuggling his Mexican wife into the United States in 1955. "The pardon doesn't completely remove that, but it certainly takes away some of the stigma. You can get a great deal of pride and personal satisfaction."
Bargon's woes began in 1994 when she was asked by a friend, Elmer Purcell, who has since died of cancer, to make a dream catcher for Hillary Clinton similar to the ones she had made for her sons. In Native-American lore, dream catchers--decorative hoops of stones, beads and feathers with a weblike lattice--are said to snare bad dreams while allowing good dreams to flow through.
Bargon hoped to cash in on the publicity, and soon First Lady Dream Catchers were available for $60 at a local craft shop. Eagle-eyed federal agents spotted the news of Clinton's gift in a local newspaper and launched an undercover probe that included recorded telephone calls, search warrants, undercover shopping trips and even autopsies of birds whose parts were used by Bargon.
In Bargon's home, officials found several feathers from migratory birds that are protected under federal law, including owls, a sandhill crane, a swan, a blue jay and a robin.
The tear-shaped dream catcher given to Clinton included feathers from a bald eagle, a goshawk, a barred owl and a snowy owl.
When the yearlong federal investigation finally ended, Bargon tearfully pleaded guilty to misdemeanor violations of the Lacey Act and the Bald Eagle Protection Act, which both protect wildlife.
Though two charges were dropped and she avoided jail time, she left her job in public broadcasting, abandoned her dream of starting an herb business, spent over $10,000 on legal fees, paid a $1,200 fine, and struggled with the emotional and psychological effects of her crime.
She says the event strained her relationships with her husband and her children, and friends say she lost confidence, self-esteem and weight. For a long time, Bargon felt the presence of the federal officials who searched her home and snatched everything related to the crime, including a thank you letter from the first lady hanging on the refrigerator.
"I love the beautiful legend of the dream catcher and I am pleased to have this symbol of Native American wisdom, love and creativity in the White House to commemorate my delightful visit to East Central Illinois," the letter said.
"For a long time, something was very wrong inside our home," said Bargon, a Monticello native who is well-known in the community and wrapped Hillary Clinton's gift in the local high school's colors, purple and gold. "Fear and confusion stayed a long time, and nothing made any sense. I'm beginning to lose that now by going through the process of filling out the form."
Bargon's supporters indignantly argue the government ought to have better things to do than prosecute a woman for selling dream catchers and should instead target poachers and smugglers.
Article Source: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2000-10-27/news/0010270199_1_pardon-convicted-hillary-rodham-clinton
Now Bargon, whose life drastically changed after her arrest and prosecution for violating wildlife protection laws, thinks the least Hillary's husband can do is formally forgive her.
Inside her quaint two-story farmhouse in rolling Piatt County, Bargon works tirelessly on the lengthy application for what she believes will give her personal redemption: a presidential pardon from Bill Clinton before he leaves office.
Reliving the events leading up to her arrest is agonizing, but Bargon, who will apply for clemency Thursday, the fifth anniversary of her prosecution, says a pardon is the only way she can put the surreal event behind her.
"I'm just trying to get my life back," said Bargon, 44, a mother of two boys whose license plates read "HERBS." "Whatever debt I owed, I feel I've paid."
Presidential pardons though, while given to one desperate turkey a year on Thanksgiving, are relatively rare. During Clinton's two terms, he has granted 185 of 1,820 petition requests, including seven last week for crimes ranging from wire fraud and embezzlement to transporting a stolen vehicle across state lines. In 1993, 1994, 1996 and 1997, no one received a pardon or sentence commutation from Clinton. He has denied 655 requests.
This year, both junk-bond king Michael Milken and supporters for the late Illinois Gov. Otto Kerner are seeking pardons to clear their names. But the majority of petitioners are not high-profile names. Many Americans who seek presidential clemency are like Bargon, who wants to be able to check "no" when asked if convicted of a crime.
"In our society, you really carry a target on your back if you have a conviction," said Chicago's Paul Fauteck, a clinical psychologist who was pardoned in 1992 for smuggling his Mexican wife into the United States in 1955. "The pardon doesn't completely remove that, but it certainly takes away some of the stigma. You can get a great deal of pride and personal satisfaction."
Bargon's woes began in 1994 when she was asked by a friend, Elmer Purcell, who has since died of cancer, to make a dream catcher for Hillary Clinton similar to the ones she had made for her sons. In Native-American lore, dream catchers--decorative hoops of stones, beads and feathers with a weblike lattice--are said to snare bad dreams while allowing good dreams to flow through.
Bargon hoped to cash in on the publicity, and soon First Lady Dream Catchers were available for $60 at a local craft shop. Eagle-eyed federal agents spotted the news of Clinton's gift in a local newspaper and launched an undercover probe that included recorded telephone calls, search warrants, undercover shopping trips and even autopsies of birds whose parts were used by Bargon.
In Bargon's home, officials found several feathers from migratory birds that are protected under federal law, including owls, a sandhill crane, a swan, a blue jay and a robin.
The tear-shaped dream catcher given to Clinton included feathers from a bald eagle, a goshawk, a barred owl and a snowy owl.
When the yearlong federal investigation finally ended, Bargon tearfully pleaded guilty to misdemeanor violations of the Lacey Act and the Bald Eagle Protection Act, which both protect wildlife.
Though two charges were dropped and she avoided jail time, she left her job in public broadcasting, abandoned her dream of starting an herb business, spent over $10,000 on legal fees, paid a $1,200 fine, and struggled with the emotional and psychological effects of her crime.
She says the event strained her relationships with her husband and her children, and friends say she lost confidence, self-esteem and weight. For a long time, Bargon felt the presence of the federal officials who searched her home and snatched everything related to the crime, including a thank you letter from the first lady hanging on the refrigerator.
"I love the beautiful legend of the dream catcher and I am pleased to have this symbol of Native American wisdom, love and creativity in the White House to commemorate my delightful visit to East Central Illinois," the letter said.
"For a long time, something was very wrong inside our home," said Bargon, a Monticello native who is well-known in the community and wrapped Hillary Clinton's gift in the local high school's colors, purple and gold. "Fear and confusion stayed a long time, and nothing made any sense. I'm beginning to lose that now by going through the process of filling out the form."
Bargon's supporters indignantly argue the government ought to have better things to do than prosecute a woman for selling dream catchers and should instead target poachers and smugglers.
Article Source: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2000-10-27/news/0010270199_1_pardon-convicted-hillary-rodham-clinton
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