Mark Wahlberg Seeks Pardon For Beating A Guy 26 Years Ago

Mark Wahlberg is asking the Governor of Massachusetts for a pardon for a crime he committed 26 years ago. INSIDE EDITION has the scoop.

Superstar Mark Wahlberg is fighting to clear his name 26 years after he was jailed for beating up two men on the street.

The 42-year-old actor is seeking a pardon for the attacks which left one victim blind in one eye.

Before he became a big star, Wahlberg was a troubled youth. In 1988, when he was 16, he was actually charged with attempted murder. He beat a Vietnamese immigrant with a wooden stick and punched a second man in the eye during a robbery at a convenience store in Boston.  

He talked about the incident on 60 Minutes in 2011.

He was asked by Lara Logan, “Did you ever apologize to the man you hurt?”

“Yes, I got up in front of the court and addressed the court and him. Then, you know, they put the shackles on me and took me away,” replied Wahlberg.  

He pled guilty to assault and battery and was sentenced to two years in prison, but he spent just 45 days behind bars.  

Now, he has filed a formal petition asking Governor of Massachusetts Deval Patrick for an official state pardon.

"Had I stayed on that path, I would likely have ended up like so many of my childhood friends - dead or in prison for a prolonged period of time," he wrote in his petition. "Fortunately...I turned my life around."