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Music producer whose long sentence drew outcry is free early

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In this Friday, June 3, 2016 photo, Weldon Angelos, center, holds his sons Anthoney, left and Jesse in Sandy, Utah. Weldon Angelos, a Utah music producer who was ordered to 55 years behind bars for bringing guns to marijuana deals has been set free, after 12 years in prison and national outcry over the mandatory minimum sentencing laws that forced a federal judge to impose the lengthy term. (Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP) DESERET NEWS OUT; LOCAL TELEVISION OUT; MAGS OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT

SALT LAKE CITY – A Utah music producer whose 55-year prison sentence on drug charges drew national outcry has been released early.

Thirty-six-year-old Weldon Angelos was freed Tuesday. He says he kept his release quiet for a few days because he wanted to spend time with his three teenage children, who were much younger when he was sentenced in 2004.

His lawyer, Mark W. Osler, told The Washington Post that he credited a Utah prosecutor for granting mercy.

Angelos was convicted of bringing guns along when he sold marijuana three times to an informant.

Former federal judge Paul Cassell said he was troubled by the 55-year sentence he was required to hand down by mandatory minimum sentencing laws.

In 2013, more than 100 high-profile people petitioned the White House to commute the sentence, including an ex-FBI director.

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