Obama shortens sentence of inmate from Cape

A 37-year-old Cape Girardeau man will be released from a federal prison in South Dakota in July after receiving a commutation Tuesday from President Barack Obama.

Christopher M. DePree will have served about 12 years of the 15-year, 8-month sentence he received Nov. 14, 2005, from federal Judge Jean C. Hamilton.

DePree pleaded guilty to distribution of five grams or more of cocaine base Aug. 22, 2005.

According to a story in the Southeast Missourian in 2005, DePree could have been sentenced to up to 40 years in prison and a $2 million fine.

DePree sold 6.2 grams of crack to an undercover police officer in front of a Cape Girardeau housing complex April 8, 2004, according to a news release from the federal prosecutor's office.

DePree received such a large sentence because he was considered a career offender based on federal sentencing guidelines, according to a motion he filed in 2013 to have his sentence reduced.

DePree's motion for a reduced sentence was denied by Hamilton in June 2013.

He pleaded guilty to distribution of a controlled substance in January 1998 and January 2000 in Cape Girardeau County. DePree's motion for a reduced sentence was denied by Hamilton in June 2013.

He also was on probation in March 2005 for two felony charges of failure to pay child support.

Obama granted commutations to 209 people and pardoned 64 others Tuesday. Among them was Chelsea Manning, a U.S. soldier convicted of leaking classified information to WikiLeaks.

bkleine@semissourian.com (573) 388-3644

Pertinent address: 555 Independence St., Cape Girardeau, MO