Weldon Angelos is a music producer who was sentenced in a high profile marijuana case involving mandatory minimum sentences that was presented to the United States Supreme Court. The United States Supreme Court declined to hear the case but Angelos was later released from prison 13 years later due to public pressure from celebrities, United States Senators, the judge that sentenced him, and ultimately the prosecutor who prosecuted him. Background The son of an immigrant, Weldon Angelos worked as a music producer with musicians such as Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur, and was accused of selling marijuana to a police informant on several occasions worth a total of $350. The witness stated that Angelos had a firearm strapped to his ankle, but no photographs or evidence existed other than his testimony, and Angelos never used or brandished a firearm during the sales. However, Title 18, Section 924(c) of the federal code provides for mandatory sentences for dealers who carry firearms during their drug transactions; meaning Angelos, who had no prior criminal record, was sentenced in November 2004 to 55 years in prison. Trial and conviction The judge in the case, Paul Cassell (of the U.S. Court for the District of Utah) who sentenced Angelos to 55 years, said that due to mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines, he had no choice but to impose it. Cassell urged President Bush to commute the sentence, calling it "unjust, cruel, and irrational", noting the sentence is much more than the minimum for hijacking, kidnapping, or rape. On appeal the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit upheld the sentence. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Angelos' petition. Weldon Angelos had a projected release date of 18 November 2051. For those convicted since 1 November 1987, there is no federal parole in the United States. On 29 April 2009, a federal judge denied a request by Angelos for a new trial by rejecting a claim that his trial attorney mishandled plea negotiations with the federal prosecutor, U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell ruled that attorney Jerome Mooney had provided Angelos with "competent and thorough" legal help. This was one of the last appeals Angelos could launch, which made it likely his sentence was final. The Constitution Project wrote a letter, signed by 113 celebrities, advocates, former judges and prosecutors, and business leaders, to Obama urging him to commute Angelos' sentence. Justification In a radio