Fowler was arrested Monday by the St. Petersburg Police Department on two counts of intent to sell a controlled substance and one count of felon in possession of a firearm—state charges equivalent to his prior federal offenses. The convicted felon had been serving a 12.5-year federal prison sentence before it was commuted via autopen, a device that mechanically reproduces a president's signature on documents.
Attorney General Uthmeier characterized the Biden administration's use of autopen clemency as a threat to public safety. "The Biden administration's use of the autopen is putting Floridians at risk by allowing dangerous felons back on the street, but we won't put up with it," Uthmeier said in a statement announcing the arrest.
If convicted on the state charges, Fowler faces up to 45 years in the Florida Department of Corrections. The arrest followed a joint investigation by the St. Petersburg Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives-Tampa Field Division, State Attorney for the Sixth Judicial Circuit Bruce Bartlett, and the Office of Statewide Prosecution.
The case is part of a broader review Uthmeier has initiated of all Biden administration commutations and pardons affecting Florida that were issued via autopen. "I've directed the Office of Statewide Prosecution to review every auto-penned commutation and pardon from the Biden administration that affects Florida. If we can bring state-level charges, we will work with every level of government to do so," the attorney general said.
Local and federal law enforcement officials praised the arrest of Fowler, who has a criminal history spanning more than a decade. "Oscar Fowler needs to be held accountable for his actions, and his arrest represents an important step in protecting our community," said Chief of St. Petersburg Police Anthony Holloway. "St. Petersburg is safer with him off our streets."
"ATF is proud to have played a role in locking up this notoriously violent offender in 2024," said ATF Tampa Field Division's Acting Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Harrell, "and we will continue to help our local, state and federal partners keep America—and communities across Florida—safe."
The Florida attorney general's office characterized the arrest as demonstrating "Florida's unwavering commitment to pursuing prosecutions to the fullest extent of the law, even when federal clemency decisions—issued via autopen—attempt to override accountability and jeopardize public safety." The case highlights potential tensions between federal clemency powers and state prosecution authority.