‘Living an upright life’: Newsom pardons Pismo’s manager held by ICE

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – The manager of Pismo’s in Fresno, who Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained in June, received a pardon from Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday for a burglary he committed when he was a teenager.

Sam “Psalm” Behpoor was detained by ICE on June 23 after he received a call for an interview at the immigration office in Downtown Fresno. He was taken to the Mesa Verde ICE Processing Facility in Bakersfield.

In a past interview with YourCentralValley.com, Behpoor said that he was separated from his attorney and was told:

“‘Don’t take it personal. The last few weeks, we’re focusing on a different mix of people of Asian descent. And now we’re moving towards the Middle East,’ and I thought, ‘What is this guy saying? Like this isn’t even right what he’s saying, it’s not even human.’”

He came to the U.S. from Iran when he was three years old and received a green card when he was 13.

When he was a teenager, he served time in prison for non-aggravated burglary in 2004. At the time, he was detained by ICE but was ultimately released.

Since being released, Behpoor has been making an effort to turn his life around. He has managed Pismo’s Coastal Grill in Fresno for 10 years, and has a wife and a 3-year-old son.

Now, 21 years later, Newsom pardoned him for the crime he committed when he was 18 years old.

In a letter by Newsom, it states that Behpoor applied for clemency in the form of a gubernatorial pardon.

In the letter, it said that Behpoor has provided evidence that “he is living an upright life and has demonstrated his fitness for restoration of civic rights and responsibilities.”

The full letter can be viewed below.

“This act of Clemency for Mr. Behpoor does not minimize or forgive his conduct or the harm it caused. It does recognize the work he has done since to transform himself,” the letter stated.

Behpoor remains in ICE custody.