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Obama pardons Bucks woman's drug conviction

Diane DeBarri, now the CEO of a halfway-house company, has been cleared on methamphetamine-related charges.

Diane DeBarri
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A BUCKS COUNTY woman whose company once housed Vince Fumo has been pardoned for a 30-year-old drug charge.

Diane Mary DeBarri, 61, was one of 12 people pardoned for federal crimes by President Obama yesterday, according to a statement from the White House.

DeBarri, of Fairless Hills, was convicted in 1984 of conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine and related offenses, according to the statement. She served a 90-day jail sentence in that case, followed by five years' probation.

In more recent years, DeBarri has been active on the other side of the law: She serves as CEO of the Kintock Group, which operates halfway houses and other transitional services in Southeastern Pennsylvania and South Jersey.

According to her biography on the firm's website, DeBarri began working there not long after her conviction, rising from an entry-level position as an intake officer.

If Kintock sounds familiar, it's because former state Sen. Vince Fumo regularly reported to its facility on Erie Avenue in North Philly after being released from prison in 2013.

Pardoned alongside DeBarri - formerly Diane Mary Wilhelm - were two other people convicted of methamphetamine-related charges, as well as a convicted bootlegger, a counterfeiter, a car thief and a tax fraudster, among others.