New Pardons Raise Bush's Total to 31

President Bush granted four pardons yesterday, bringing to 31 the total of pardons and sentence commutations he has issued during his first term, the Justice Department announced.

The clemency orders issued by Bush are far off the pace of most modern presidents and less than half the 77 granted by his father, President George H.W. Bush, according to statistics collected by the University of Pittsburgh's law school.

Bush pardoned Kristan Diane Bullock Akins of Raleigh, N.C., convicted of embezzlement by a bank employee; Ronald William Cauley, East Providence, R.I., misapplication of bank funds by an employee; Stephen Davis Simmons, Austin, possession of counterfeit obligations; and Roger Charles Weber, Northridge, Calif., theft from interstate shipment.