Mark Wahlberg has asked the Massachusetts Parole Board to pardon his 1988 assault conviction, but the request is being met with resistance.
Mark Wahlberg has asked the Massachusetts Parole Board to pardon his 1988 assault conviction, but The Gambler star's request is being met with resistance.
The conviction stems from an incident where a 16-year-old Wahlberg was allegedly high and drunk and attempted to steal two cases of alcohol from a convenience store in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston. During the alleged attempted theft, Wahlberg struck Johnny Trinh, an Asian American man, in the head so badly that he was thought to have been blinded by the blow. The incident landed Wahlberg 45 days in jail.
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In response to the pardon request, Asian American political group 18 Million Rising is asking that the crime stay on record, saying that it was "racially motivated" on their official website. The group points out that prior to striking Trinh, Wahlberg assaulted another man on the street. "According to court documents, Wahlberg screamed 'Vietnam f**king sh*t!' as he beat [Thanh] Lam unconscious," the group writes.
However, Trinh tells Mail Online that he has forgiven Wahlberg, saying, "Everyone deserves another chance."
"I was not blinded my Mark Wahlberg," Trinh explains to the news source. "He did hurt me, but my left eye was already gone. He was not responsible for that."
ET caught up with Wahlberg and his wife Rhea Durham at The Gambler premiere on Wednesday night, where the two-time Oscar nominee told us that he's been trying to rectify his crime since it happened.
"I've been working since the day I woke up sober and realized the mistake that I made to correct that mistake and it's been 27 years in the making," said Wahlberg.