This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
An Ogden man serving a life sentence for distribution of methamphetamine was among the 209 federal prisoners granted commutations Tuesday by President Barack Obama.
In addition, the president granted pardons to 64 others, including an Orem woman who was convicted three decades ago of fraudulent issuance of money orders and making a false statement in a loan application.
The prison term of Kim Davis Beckstrom, who was sentenced to a life term for selling a pound of methamphetamine in 2007 to an undercover police officer, was shortened to 20 years. The life sentence was mandatory because of his two prior felony drug convictions.
Beckstrom, now 60, claimed a Mexican drug cartel planned to kill him if he didn't pay off a friend's debt by peddling the drugs.
U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell ruled that Beckstrom could not present that defense to the jury and he was convicted in 2010 of distribution of the street drug. The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the conviction in 2011.
Beckstrom's release will be conditioned on enrollment in a residential drug treatment program.
Cynthia Ann Raffensparger, formerly known as Cynthia Ann Grange Hansen, was sentenced to four years of probation in 1985 for fraudulent issuance of money orders and a concurrent term of five years of probation in 1986 for making a false statement in a loan application.
Twitter: @PamelaMansonSLC