Yes, Mark Wahlberg did go to jail. In 1988, at age 16, he was charged with attempted murder after a violent assault on two Vietnamese men in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston. He was tried as an adult, convicted of assault, sentenced to three months, and served 45 days.1TIME. Mark Wahlberg Pardon Assault The felony conviction is still on his record.2WGBH. Mark Wahlberg’s Atonement: A Follow-Up
What Happened on April 8, 1988
Outside a Dorchester convenience store, Wahlberg tried to steal two cases of alcohol from a Vietnamese man named Thanh Lam. He struck Lam over the head with a wooden stick while using racial slurs.3NBC Washington. Mark Wahlberg Seeks Pardon in 1988 Assault Case While running from police, he punched a second Vietnamese man, Johnny Trinh (born Hoa Trinh), in the face.4CBS News Boston. Mark Wahlberg Pardon Request Dropped
Prosecutors initially charged Wahlberg with attempted murder. Although he was only 16, the case was handled in adult court, and he was ultimately convicted of assault.1TIME. Mark Wahlberg Pardon Assault He was also convicted of criminal contempt for violating an earlier civil rights injunction that had been issued against him in 1986.5CBS News. Mark Wahlberg Victim Says He Shouldn’t Be Pardoned The court sentenced him to three months in prison, and he served 45 days.
The Blinding Story Is Not True
For years, reporting on the case claimed Wahlberg had blinded Trinh in one eye. Trinh corrected the record himself. He had lost the sight in his left eye years earlier during a grenade explosion while serving in the South Vietnamese army. “He did hurt me, but my left eye was already gone,” Trinh said. “He was not responsible for that.”6Los Angeles Times. Mark Wahlberg Assault Victim Speaks Out
Why the Case Was Treated So Seriously
The 1988 attack was not Wahlberg’s first documented racial incident. In 1986, when he was 15, Wahlberg and a group of white youths threw rocks at a group of mostly Black fourth-graders leaving Savin Hill Beach, shouting racial epithets and chasing the children until an ambulance driver intervened.5CBS News. Mark Wahlberg Victim Says He Shouldn’t Be Pardoned The day before, he and two friends had chased three Black siblings in the same neighborhood, throwing rocks and yelling slurs.7Police1. Ex-Prosecutor: Don’t Pardon Mark Wahlberg for Racist Attacks
Assistant Attorney General Judith Beals prosecuted the 1986 incidents, and a court issued a civil rights injunction against Wahlberg and two other youths, warning them that any future hate crime would carry jail time.7Police1. Ex-Prosecutor: Don’t Pardon Mark Wahlberg for Racist Attacks When Wahlberg attacked Lam and Trinh two years later, that injunction was still in force, which is why the criminal contempt charge attached alongside the assault conviction.5CBS News. Mark Wahlberg Victim Says He Shouldn’t Be Pardoned
The 2014 Pardon Attempt
On November 26, 2014, Wahlberg filed a formal application with the Massachusetts Advisory Board of Pardons to have the 1988 assault conviction cleared.3NBC Washington. Mark Wahlberg Seeks Pardon in 1988 Assault Case Because he had been convicted as an adult, a pardon was his only route to remove the record.8Juvenile Law Center. Mark Wahlberg and the Long-Term Consequences of Juvenile Records
In the petition, he called the request “formal recognition that I am not the same person that I was on the night of April 8, 1988.”3NBC Washington. Mark Wahlberg Seeks Pardon in 1988 Assault Case9The Hollywood Reporter. Why Mark Wahlberg Wants a Pardon10WBUR. Mark Wahlberg Seeks Pardon From Gov. Patrick
Johnny Trinh backed the request. “He was young and reckless but I forgive him now. Everyone deserves another chance,” Trinh said. “He should not have the crime hanging over him any longer.”11The Guardian. Mark Wahlberg 1988 Assault Victim on Pardon12Angry Asian Man. Meet Mark Wahlberg’s Hate Crime Victim13Boston.com. Mark Wahlberg Says He Regrets His 2014 Assault Pardon Request
Others opposed the pardon. Kristyn Atwood, who had been struck by a rock in the 1986 attack and still bore a scar, said: “I don’t think he should get a pardon. I don’t really care who he is. It doesn’t make him any exception. If you’re a racist, you’re always going to be a racist. And for him to want to erase it I just think it’s wrong.”5CBS News. Mark Wahlberg Victim Says He Shouldn’t Be Pardoned14TIME. Mark Wahlberg’s Prosecutor Says He Shouldn’t Be Pardoned15The Boston Globe. Don’t Pardon Mark Wahlberg
Then-Governor Deval Patrick said only that Wahlberg would “be treated like everyone else.” Patrick had not granted a single pardon since taking office in 2007.16Boston.com. How Do You Get Pardoned in Massachusetts
The petition never reached a hearing. In 2016 the Massachusetts Parole Board wrote to Wahlberg asking whether he wanted to keep it active. He did not respond. On September 15, 2016, the board closed the file.4CBS News Boston. Mark Wahlberg Pardon Request Dropped Wahlberg later said he regretted filing the petition, though he added that the process had led to his in-person apology to Trinh.13Boston.com. Mark Wahlberg Says He Regrets His 2014 Assault Pardon Request
Where His Record Stands Today
The 1988 felony assault conviction remains on Mark Wahlberg’s record. No renewed pardon efforts or changes to his legal status have been reported since he let the 2014 petition lapse.2WGBH. Mark Wahlberg’s Atonement: A Follow-Up