You are innocent until proved guilty in a court of law.
Therefore, what purpose is served by pardoning an innocent person?
Can an innocent person be pardoned?
“Can an innocent person be pardoned?”
A president can pardon anyone for any federal crime whether or not they have been accused.
In 1866, the Supreme Court ruled in Ex parte Garland that the pardon power “extends to every offence known to the law, and may be exercised at any time after its commission, either before legal proceedings are taken, or during their pendency, or after conviction and judgment.” (In that case, a former Confederate senator successfully petitioned the court to uphold a pardon that prevented him from being disbarred.) Generally speaking, once an act has been committed, the president can issue a pardon at any time—regardless of whether charges have even been filed.