Vt. Governor Pardons Son of Famous Politician for Drug Conviction

John Zaccaro Jr. is the son of former vice presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro

The son of a former vice presidential candidate has received a pardon for a drug conviction in Vermont.

John Zaccaro, Jr. is the son of Geraldine Ferraro, the Democrat who unsuccessfully ran for vice president under Walter Mondale in 1984.

Zaccaro was convicted in 1988 of selling a quarter of a gram of cocaine to an undercover officer when he was a student at Vermont's Middlebury College.

Zaccaro served three months under house arrest, NBC News reported at the time of Ferraro's death.

Gov. Peter Shumlin, D-Vermont, announced Saturday he has pardoned Zaccaro and nine other people.

This pardon is separate from another round of convictions Shumlin has promised to vacate.

Those affect people convicted of possessing small amounts of marijuana before Vermont law changed to make that a civil, not criminal, offense.

Geraldine Ferraro died in 2011.

According to a biography published online when he announced his candidacy for mayor of Saltaire, New York, Zaccaro is licensed to practice law in New York and New Jersey. He is a principal of a third-generation privately-held real estate investment and management firm.

The biography also says Zaccaro resides in New York City with his wife and three children.

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