• President Trump pardoned two divers, John Moore Jr. and Tanner Mansell, for freeing sharks off Florida.
• The divers were previously convicted of theft for releasing the sharks and a giant grouper from a longline.
• The pardons erase their convictions and allow them greater legal freedoms.
• The divers defended their actions, believing they were helping save the sharks from illegal fishing.
• Moore's and Mansell's attorneys celebrated the pardons as a vindication of their character and actions.

President Trump has granted pardons to two South Florida shark divers, John Moore Jr. and Tanner Mansell, who were convicted of theft after releasing 19 sharks and a giant grouper from a longline off the Florida coast. The pardons were signed on Wednesday, overturning their 2022 convictions for theft of property within special maritime jurisdiction, which originated from their actions around three miles off the Jupiter Inlet in August 2020, where they observed what they believed to be an illegal fishing line, according to CBS News.

Moore, who captained a shark-diving charter boat, and Mansell, a crew member, reported the longline to state wildlife officials after freeing the marine life and returning to shore. However, federal prosecutors later contended that the line belonged to a licensed fisherman authorized by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for research purposes, as stated by The Hill and HuffPost.

The two divers avoided prison time but were subjected to a restitution payment of $3,343.72 and faced legal constraints that barred them from voting, owning firearms, or traveling internationally. In light of the pardons, Moore's attorney, Marc Seitles, expressed triumph, stating, "We never stopped fighting, and justice has finally prevailed," highlighting the perceived injustice of the prosecutions involved, as reported by CBS News and The Hill.

The defense emphasized that the divers acted with good intentions, trying to save the sharks from what they assumed was illegal fishing. Mansell's attorney, Ian Goldstein, remarked that "this case never should have been filed," reinforcing the belief that the actions taken were misinterpreted. The full and unconditional pardons effectively erase their felony convictions, a development celebrated by both divers and their legal teams, according to HuffPost and CBS News.