--- title: Mark Wahlberg is Seeking a Pardon for His 1988 Assault Conviction description: Actor Mark Wahlberg is seeking a pardon for an assault conviction from 1988 for an attack that left a man blind in one eye canonical: https://time.com/3619577/mark-wahlberg-pardon-assault/ author: Helen Regan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-12-05T03:56:31.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T02:36:11.625Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Mark Wahlberg Wants 1988 Assault Pardoned og:description: The attack left a man blind in one eye. og:url: https://time.com/3619577/mark-wahlberg-pardon-assault/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1c066b5adfa532a6/69876ce5524fc06d61deb2fd/mark-wahlberg1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Mark Wahlberg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Mark Wahlberg Wants 1988 Assault Pardoned twitter:description: The attack left a man blind in one eye. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1c066b5adfa532a6/69876ce5524fc06d61deb2fd/mark-wahlberg1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Mark Wahlberg Is Seeking a Pardon for His 1988 Assault Conviction > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. by [Helen Regan](https://time.com/author/helen-regan/) ## Helen Regan Dec 5, 2014 3:56 AM UTC  Mark Wahlberg in Los Angeles in Jan. 2014. Mark Wahlberg in Los Angeles in Jan. 2014.JB Lacroix—WireImage by [Helen Regan](https://time.com/author/helen-regan/) ## Helen Regan Dec 5, 2014 3:56 AM UTC Hollywood actor Mark Wahlberg is [seeking](http://www.necn.com/news/new-england/EXCLUSIVE-Mark-Wahlberg-Seeks-Pardon-in-1988-Assault-Case-284795961.html) a pardon for an assault conviction stemming from a 1988 attack that left a man blind in one eye. The _Transformers_ star is hoping to get his criminal record erased, stating in his application to the Massachusetts Board of Pardons that he has dedicated himself “to becoming a better person and citizen,” NECN reports. The application says the assault occurred as Wahlberg, then 16, tried to rob a man outside a convenience store. Though he was a juvenile at the time, he was tried as an adult and sentenced to three months in prison, of which he served 45 days. In his [application,](http://time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/wahlberg.pdf) Wahlberg says, “I am deeply sorry for the actions that I took on the night of April 8, 1988, as well as for any lasting damage that I may have caused the victims.” Wahlberg says his reasons for requesting a pardon include wanting to obtain a concessionaire’s license for his restaurant business and to be able to work more closely with local law enforcement helping at-risk children. “My hope is that, if I receive a pardon, troubled youths will see this as an inspiration and motivation that they too can turn their lives around,” he writes. Once his petition is investigated the Board of Pardons will decide whether to hold a public hearing before sending it to the state governor. The application will then need the approval of the governor’s council before a formal pardon can be granted. \[[_NECN_](http://www.necn.com/news/new-england/EXCLUSIVE-Mark-Wahlberg-Seeks-Pardon-in-1988-Assault-Case-284795961.html)\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3619577/mark-wahlberg-pardon-assault/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3619577/mark-wahlberg-pardon-assault/"},"headline":"Mark Wahlberg Is Seeking a Pardon for His 1988 Assault Conviction","datePublished":"2014-12-05T03:56:31.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T02:36:11.625Z","description":"The 43-year-old former rapper says he is not the person he once was","url":"https://time.com/3619577/mark-wahlberg-pardon-assault/","keywords":["celebrities","Crime","assault","mark wahlberg"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1c066b5adfa532a6/69876ce5524fc06d61deb2fd/mark-wahlberg1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Helen Regan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/helen-regan/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1c066b5adfa532a6/69876ce5524fc06d61deb2fd/mark-wahlberg1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Mark Wahlberg","caption":"Mark Wahlberg in Los Angeles in Jan. 2014.","creditText":"JB Lacroix—WireImage","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/celebrities/","name":"celebrities"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3619577/mark-wahlberg-pardon-assault/","name":"Mark Wahlberg Is Seeking a Pardon for His 1988 Assault Conviction"}}]}] ```