During his tenure as governor, Wilder granted a controversial pardon to basketball star Allen Iverson. Iverson, then a popular high school sports figure, was convicted after being accused of assaulting a woman in a bowling alley and sentenced to 5 years in prison. However, due to Wilder’s own judgment, after Iverson had served just five months, Governor Wilder granted Iverson clemency and released Iverson from his prison sentence.
He is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition
I’m not endorsing Wilder, but Wilder had zero chance of winning in 1994. Neither did J. Marshall Coleman, the other independent in the race, whom Powell also contributed to. But by supporting both, Powell actually undercut Chuck Robb’s reelection chances. It would have been smart strategery for someone who supported North, but didn’t want to do so publicly.