Among the nearly 1,500 people granted clemency by President Joe Biden this week was one of the most notorious boosters in college sports history — Miami’s Nevin Shapiro.

Shapiro was one of 1,499 people convicted of nonviolent crimes whose sentences were commuted by Biden on Thursday (another 39 were pardoned). In 2011, Shapiro was sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of securities fraud and another count of money laundering, charges stemming from a $930 million Ponzi scheme.

Shapiro became infamous later that year when he told Yahoo Sports that he violated numerous NCAA rules by giving improper benefits to Hurricanes players. This included cash, yacht trips and visits to strip clubs, and his confession became a huge scandal. The NCAA found Miami lacked institutional control, and the Hurricanes’ sanctions included scholarship cuts, recruiting restrictions and probation, as well as a self-imposed ban that kept Miami out of the bowls and the 2012 ACC Championship.

The NCAA investigation later came under scrutiny because law enforcement personnel worked with one of Shapiro’s lawyers and the booster’s bankruptcy case to improperly obtain information.

Shapiro was moved from prison to home confinement during the COVID pandemic. Unlike a pardon, a commutation does not erase a conviction; it merely reduces or ends the sentence.

(Photo: Chris Bernacchi / Getty Images)