An attorney for Casey Urlacher, the brother of former Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher who was pardoned by President Donald Trump on Tuesday, expressed gratitude for the action on Wednesday.
"We are very thankful that out of all of the thousands of petitions for pardon submitted to the president that he read and appreciated all of the outstanding qualities and decency that Casey possesses and saw fit to Grant him a pardon," Casey Urlacher's attorney Mike Gillespie said in a statement.
Casey Urlacher, currently serving as the mayor of Mettawa, was one of 10 individuals named in a grand jury indictment in 2020, accused of helping to run an illegal offshore gambling business.
Trump issued him a full pardon just hours before the president’s term in office expires.
In a press release, the White House cited Urlacher’s “commitment to public service” as part of his reasoning behind issuing the pardon.
“Throughout his life, Mr. Urlacher has been committed to public service and has consistently given back to his community,” the press release said. “Currently, Mr. Urlacher serves as the unpaid mayor of Mettawa, Illinois. He is a devoted husband to his wife and a loving father to his 17-month-old daughter.”
Urlacher was one of 73 individuals pardoned by the president, while another 70 sentences were commuted in one of the president's final acts in office.
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Urlacher was facing a federal charge of conspiring to engage in illegal gambling. According to criminal complaints, he was accused of recruiting bettors for the website UncleMickSports.com in exchange for a cut of their eventual gambling losses.
The website was maintained in Costa Rica, according to the indictment, and was used to manage the accounting, betting and logistics of the illegal ring.
Urlacher faced two counts in the case, each of which had carried a potential prison sentence of five years.
