AD
Andre Donnell Routt
commutationDrug OffencesFurther reading
Convicted of
Andre Donnell Routt was convicted of conspiracy to knowingly and intentionally distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, prosecuted in the Eastern District of Texas (Case No. 1:94-CR-12). His trial ran May 24–31, 1994 before Judge Cobb.
The scale of the operation was large. The Fifth Circuit, reviewing a sentence reduction appeal in 2016, confirmed that Routt was held responsible for 42.5 kilograms and four ounces of crack cocaine and 150 kilograms of powder cocaine — quantities equivalent to more than 90,000 kilograms of marijuana under Sentencing Guidelines calculations. His base offense level was 38, with six additional specific offense enhancements, yielding a total offense level of 44 and a criminal history category of IV.
Original sentence
Sentenced on August 19, 1994 to life imprisonment and five years' supervised release. The guidelines range, given the drug quantities and offense enhancements, was life.
Routt made multiple attempts to reduce his sentence over the following decades. In 2005 he filed a motion to vacate under 28 U.S.C. § 2255, which was denied. He appealed again in 2009 (Fifth Circuit No. 09-40672). In 2015 he sought a sentence reduction under § 3582(c)(2) based on Amendment 782 to the Sentencing Guidelines, which retroactively reduced drug offense levels by two points — but the Fifth Circuit affirmed denial on April 1, 2016, finding that Amendment 782 did not lower his sentencing range given the quantities involved.
On January 15, 2026, President Trump commuted the remaining custodial portion of Routt's life sentence. The commutation left the underlying conviction intact and preserved the five-year supervised release requirement.
Post-pardon activity
0mentions
0new offenses
No post-pardon activity recorded yet.
This profile updates automatically each day if Andre appears in the news.
Further Reading(5)
DOJ Clemency Warrant — Andre Donnell Routt
15 January 2026
USA v. Andre Routt, No. 15-41174 (5th Cir. 2016) — Sentence Reduction Denied
1 April 2016
USA v. Andre Routt, No. 09-40672 (5th Cir. 2011)
19 March 2011
Andre Donnell Routt — Commutation by Donald Trump (2026)
15 January 2026
DOJ Office of the Pardon Attorney — Clemency Grants, Trump Second Term
15 January 2026