An Augusta man has been pardoned by President Biden for a non-violent crime he committed more than 25 years ago.

Michael Gary Pelletier, 67, was among the 39 people who received pardons and 1,499 people whose sentences were commuted on Thursday. It was the largest single day of clemency in modern U.S. history, according to the Associated Press.

“I was speechless, kinda choked up and was extremely happy to hear from her,” Pelletier told Maine Public in an interview from Florida, where he spends much of his time since retiring.

Pelletier served 14 years on active duty with the Coast Guard, where he participated in more than 790 search and rescue operations and saved 32 lives, according to the White House. He also worked with the Secret Service and received citations and awards for his meritorious service. After he was honorably discharged, he served in the Coast Guard Reserve.

When he was 40, Pelletier pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $74,000 from an ATM in Ogunquit and was sentenced to 60 days in jail, according to news reports at the time.

After his conviction, Pelletier worked for almost 20 years at a water treatment facility. He volunteered with a county HAZMAT team, grew vegetables for a local soup kitchen and volunteered at an organization that supports wounded veterans and their families, according to the White House, which noted his friends and colleagues describe him as “honest, dependable and committed to his country and community.”

Pelletier told Maine Public this week that he thought he had been pardoned by President Trump during his first term, only to learn it was a different person with the same name who had been convicted of marijuana-related crime. He said he is happy to finally get his wish.

“It’s just a heavy burden and very difficult to describe,” he said. “It’s something I carried around every day and it was in the back of my head a lot. And this just feels like a big weight taken off of me.”