President Donald Trump has commuted the prison sentence of former Philadelphia labor leader John Dougherty, freeing him to care for his gravely ill wife, according to Dougherty’s attorney George Bochetto.
Bochetto told CBS News Philadelphia that Trump signed the commutation on September 3 so Dougherty, known widely as “Johnny Doc,” could return home to Cecilia Dougherty, who he says is in desperate need of care after running out of funds for private nursing.
“Cecilia Dougherty is in desperate need of care,” Bochetto said. “Her money has run out for private nursing, and she desperately needs John by her side. And that’s why now.”
This marks a reversal from earlier this year, when the Justice Department’s Office of the Pardon Attorney denied a previous commutation request from Dougherty in July 2026.
Bochetto did not hold back praise for the president’s decision, noting the political irony involved.
“I must say, President Trump really steps up on this matter,” Bochetto said. “It’s no secret that Johnny Dougherty was a powerful Democratic politician working for Democrats in Democratic elections across the board, and for a Republican president to step up and grant this kind of compassionate release I think really says a lot about the man.”
Dougherty spent decades as business manager for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers’ Local 98, one of the most influential unions in Philadelphia politics. His legal troubles came to a head in 2023, when he was convicted of embezzling more than $600,000 from the union.
That wasn’t his first brush with federal prosecutors. In 2021, Dougherty was also convicted on one count of conspiracy to commit honest services fraud and seven counts of honest services wire fraud. Prosecutors alleged he had traded perks, including Eagles tickets and a union salary with benefits, to former Philadelphia City Councilmember Bobby Henon in exchange for influence at City Hall. His six-year sentence covered both cases.
As of Thursday night, Bochetto said he had not yet had the chance to speak with Dougherty directly about the commutation, though Cecilia Dougherty was reportedly overjoyed at the news that her husband would soon be coming home.
Bochetto indicated that Dougherty could walk free as early as Thursday night or Friday, having served just two years of his six-year sentence.
The commutation adds another chapter to Trump’s ongoing use of clemency powers, this time reaching across the political aisle to a lifelong Democratic power broker whose family situation apparently moved the president to act. Whether this compassionate gesture draws criticism from those who view Dougherty’s convictions as serious corruption remains to be seen, but for now, the Dougherty family is simply relieved to be reunited.
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