During his tenure as president of the United States (January 20, 2017 – January 20, 2021), Donald Trump granted executive clemency to 237 individuals charged or convicted of federal criminal offenses, using his clemency power under Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution. Ordinarily, all requests for executive clemency for federal offenses are directed to the Office of the Pardon Attorney (OPA) in the U.S. Department of Justice for review; however, Trump frequently bypassed the OPA, and the majority of his executive clemency grants were made to well-connected convicts who did not file a petition with the OPA or meet the OPA's requirements.[1][2] Overall, Trump granted less clemency than many of the modern presidents.[3]
Of the pardons and commutations that Trump did grant, the vast majority were to persons to whom Trump had a personal or political connection, or persons for whom executive clemency served a political goal.[2][3][4] A significant number had been convicted of fraud or public corruption.[5]The New York Times reported that during the closing days of the Trump presidency, individuals with access to the administration, such as former administration officials, were soliciting fees to lobby for presidential pardons.[6]
The U.S. president's power of clemency arises from Article II of the United States Constitution. Clemency "may take several forms, including pardon, commutation of sentence, remission of fine or restitution, and reprieve",[7] with the two most commonly used forms being a pardon or commutation. A pardon is an official forgiveness for an acknowledged crime. Once a pardon is issued, all further punishment for the crime is waived.[8] The president can only grant pardons for federal offenses.[9] When the president commutes a sentence, it reduces the severity of a sentence without voiding the conviction itself; for example, a commutation may reduce or eliminate a prison term, while leaving other punishments intact.[7] The power of clemency is "one of the most unlimited powers bestowed on the president by the Constitution."[1]
Trump's use of executive clemency
For 125 years, the key adviser to the president on clemency has been the Department of Justice's Office of the Pardon Attorney (OPA) which normally reviews all requests for pardons.[1] Trump often bypassed the OPA, and, unlike previous presidents, made the majority of his grants to executive clemency to "well-connected offenders who had not filed petitions with the pardon office or did not meet its requirements."[1] Ultimately, of the 237 grants of clemency by Trump, only 25 came through the Office of the Pardon Attorney's process (which at the end of Trump's presidency had a backlog of 14,000 applications); the other clemency recipients came to Trump's attention through an ad hoc process at the Trump White House that benefited clemency applicants with money or connections to Trump allies, friends, and family members.[4] Most of Trump's pardons and commutations were granted to people with personal or political connections to him.[10]
Compared to other presidents, Trump granted clemency at low rates, with the bulk coming later in his term. Of Trump's grants of clemency, 84% were made in his last fiscal year in office,[11] with 144 out of his 237 grants of clemency being granted on his last night in office; the list was "assembled so hastily that it contained inaccurate information about some cases."[12]
'
Legal experts raised concerns that Trump was "relying on his personal connections rather than the Justice Department's established review process for finding convicts deserving of clemency."[13] A late December 2020 analysis by Harvard Law School's Jack Goldsmith determined that "seven of the 94 Trump grants came on recommendation from the pardon attorney" and "at least 84 out of 94 Trump pardons had a personal or political connection to the president."[2] On February 19, 2020, Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy requested information on the process used by Trump in deciding to grant clemency to 11 people the preceding day.[14][15] In response to the criticism of his bypassing of the OPA, Trump said that he is the "chief law enforcement officer of the country."[13]
Former Justice Department official and Mueller investigation prosecutor Andrew Weissmann noted that the language of Trump's pardons varied, ranging from a broad pardon of Michael Flynn to narrower pardons for several others, including Paul Manafort and Roger Stone, which Weissmann argued created "windows of opportunity" to prosecute individuals who had been narrowly pardoned.[16]
Many of Trump's grants of clemency were criticized by the federal agents and prosecutors who investigated and prosecuted the cases.[21] Trump's grant of clemency to Stone in July 2020 marked the first time Trump granted clemency to a "figure directly connected to the president's campaign."[17] Representatives Jerrold Nadler and Carolyn B. Maloney, who chair two House committees, said that "No other president has exercised the clemency power for such a patently personal and self-serving purpose" and said that they would investigate whether Stone's commutation was a reward for protecting Trump.[17] Most Republican elected officials remained silent on Trump's commutation of Stone.[18] Exceptions were Republican senators Mitt Romney, who termed the commutation "unprecedented, historic corruption," and Pat Toomey, who called the commutation a "mistake" due in part to the severity of the crimes of which Stone was convicted.[17][22][23]
Requests by celebrities
In 2018, following a request by celebrity Kim Kardashian, Trump commuted the life sentence of Alice Marie Johnson who had been convicted of drug trafficking.[24] In August 2020, he pardoned Johnson after she had praised his leadership in a campaign video at the 2020 Republican National Convention.[25][26]
Military personnel accused or convicted of war crimes
Trump granted executive clemency to three court-martialed U.S. military officers who were accused or convicted of war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan.[27] Trump granted the pardons against the advice of senior military and Defense Department leadership, as well as U.S. military lawyers.[27] Critics state that Trump's pardons of the officers undermined military discipline, constituted an inappropriate interference in the U.S. military justice system, and called into question the U.S. commitment to the law of armed conflict.[28][29][30] Tensions between Trump and the Defense Department regarding Trump's interventions in the military justice system culminated in the firing of Secretary of the NavyRichard V. Spencer.[27][31][32] Two ex-military officers pardoned by Trump appeared with the president at campaign events in 2019.[32]
Many wealthy individuals paid tens of thousands of dollars to former advisors to Trump for them to lobby Trump to grant pardons, bypassing the review process of the Office of the Pardon Attorney.[35][12] Trump former personal lawyer John M. Dowd was hired by a number of convicts to lobby Trump for clemency, taking advantage of his direct access to Trump's White House Counsel's Office.[12]Matt Schlapp, the chairman of the American Conservative Union[12] and a lobbyist close to Trump administration,[35] also lobbied Trump for clemency on behalf of their clients,[12][35] as did Mark D. Cowan, another lobbyist allied with the administration.[35] Trump's White House Counsel Pat Cipollone was officially in charge of the internal White House pardon process, but "key gatekeepers" included Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner.[12] Trump was also influenced by a "kitchen cabinet" that included Tolman; Americans for Prosperity chairman Mark Holden; Trump's former acting attorney general Matt Whitaker; Trump clemency recipient Alice Marie Johnson; and Trump's former attorney Pam Bondi, a former Florida Attorney General.[12]
Chronology
From 2017 to 2019, the pardons included former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio;[36] former Navy sailor Kristian Saucier, who was convicted of taking classified photographs of classified areas inside a submarine;[37]Scooter Libby, a political aide to former vice president Dick Cheney;[38] conservative commentator Dinesh D'Souza.[39] He pardoned or reversed the sentences of three American soldiers convicted or accused of war crimes in Afghanistan or Iraq.[40]
In his last full day in office, Trump granted 143 pardons and commutations, including to his former chief strategist Steve Bannon, Trump fundraiser Elliott Broidy, and former Republican congressmen Rick Renzi, Robert Hayes, and Randall "Duke" Cunningham. He also commuted the sentences of dozens of people, including former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and sports gambler Billy Walters; the latter had paid tens of thousands of dollars to former Trump attorney John M. Dowd to plead his case with Trump.[44]
List of recipients of executive clemency from Trump
Pardons
Trump issued a total of 143 pardons during his four years in office: one in 2017, six in 2018, eight in 2019, twelve in 2020, and 116 in January 2021.[45]
Former sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona and anti-illegal immigration hardliner, Arpaio was convicted of contempt of court and was awaiting sentencing. Arpaio was pardoned for one contempt offense of which he had been convicted (but not yet sentenced) and for any not-yet-charged offenses he may have committed in the same case. In issuing the pardon, the White House said that Arpaio had given "more than fifty years of admirable service to" the United States.[47][48]
One year in prison, three years of supervised release, and 100 hours of community service
Unauthorized possession and retention of national defense information
Saucier was given an other-than-honorable discharge from the Navy for taking photos of classified areas, instruments and equipment, including the nuclear propulsion system, in a military submarine.[49] At sentencing, Saucier unsuccessfully argued for probation rather than imprisonment on the basis that Hillary Clinton was not indicted for her email controversy.[50][51]
Famed African-American boxer, convicted by an all-white jury in 1913 for traveling with his white girlfriend. It was then illegal to transport women across state lines for "immoral" purposes.[55][56][57][58]
Five years of probation, eight months of supervision in a halfway house, and a $30,000 fine
Campaign finance violations
In 2014, conservative commentator D'Souza pleaded guilty to making illegal campaign contributions to the 2012 Senate campaign of his Republican friend, Wendy Long.[59][60][61]
Father and son ranchers were convicted of arson on federal land in 2012. While initially sentenced to time served, their sentence was increased in 2015 to the mandatory 5-year minimum term under federal law.[62] The increased sentence triggered protests which culminated in the armed occupation of a wildlife refuge.[63] The Hammonds had rejected the protesters' assistance.[63][64][65]
Former media mogul, current friend, supporter and biographer of President Trump.[67] Conviction reviewed by the Supreme Court in Black v. United States; convictions later upheld. Released from prison in 2014 and deported to Canada where he was born.[68]
Former Republican lawmaker who pled guilty to soliciting for illegal campaign donations after being caught by the Shrimpscam sting operation by the FBI. Ultimately served 26 months; released in 1996 and became an activist for criminal-justice reform.[69]
Two years' probation, conditioned upon four months' community confinement and two months' home confinement
Conversion of government property
Pleaded guilty to improper use of federal government property by transferring automotive equipment to the town of Milltown, Indiana, for its maintenance use. His primary aim was to help the town, and he sought neither compensation nor recognition for his actions.[70]
After being arrested for transporting marijuana from Mexico to Oklahoma, he immediately accepted responsibility and pleaded guilty to one count of using a telephone to facilitate the distribution of a controlled substance.[70]
One year in prison and five years' supervised release
Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute in excess of 5 kilograms of cocaine and quantities of marijuana
Former president Barack Obama pardoned him in 2017 for drug trafficking, but due to a clerical error, his fraud conviction was not encompassed within that grant of executive clemency.[70]
Four months in prison and three years of supervised release
Conspiracy to steal firearms and other goods as part of an interstate shipment; theft from shipment in interstate commerce; theft of firearms shipped in interstate commerce
Participated in and was convicted of several crimes related to the theft and sale of stolen firearms. Upon arrest, he immediately accepted responsibility for his actions. In light of his impeccable behavior while serving his sentence, his supervised release terminated one year early, and in 1998, the governor of Kentucky restored his voting rights.[70]
Posthumous pardon. Jeffries was convicted of violating the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 through his engineering firm's work. His indictment in 1941 was deferred until 1947, due to his efforts during World War II.[71]
N/A – Golsteyn's pardon was issued before his trial.
N/A (not tried or convicted)
Premeditated murder
On December 13, 2018, Golsteyn, then serving as a major in the United States Army, was charged with the murder of a suspected bomb-maker in Afghanistan in 2010, following an interview in which he admitted to killing the man.[72] At the time of the pardon, Golsteyn's case had not yet gone to trial.[73]
As a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army, Lorance was convicted of murdering two Afghans; he ordered his troops to shoot unarmed villagers, then made false reports as part of a cover-up attempt. Lorance was turned in by his own men and convicted at court-martial.[73] His cause was later championed by conservative members of Congress and Fox News personalities.[74]
DeBartolo, the former owner of the San Francisco 49ers, pleaded guilty in 1998 to concealing an extortion attempt; in 1997, he met former governor of Louisiana, Edwin Edwards, and gave him $400,000 in exchange for Edwards' help obtaining a license from the gaming board to allow Hollywood Casino Corp. (in which DeBartolo was an investor) to operate a riverboat casino.[75]
In pardoning financier Milken, Trump cited his charitable work after his release from prison. Milken's separate, SEC-imposed lifetime ban on securities trading continues.[76]
Two months' imprisonment; one year's supervised release; $274,197.60 restitution to Maxient LLC; $217,097.60 due and payable immediately; and $250,000 fine due and payable immediately
Conspiracy to access a protected computer without authorization
The former CEO of an education software business, Friedler used the Tor network to mask his identity while he accessed his rivals' systems using those credentials to harvest their contacts database as well as snoop on their software design and features. Former New Jersey governorChris Christie lobbied for Friedler's pardon.[78]
Three years' probation; $250,000 fine; and $473,604.09 restitution
Making and subscribing a false tax return
Pogue, the founder and executive of McKinney, Texas-based construction company Pogue Construction, pleaded guilty in 2010 for under-reporting his taxable income in 2004, 2005 and 2006,[79] failing to pay more than $400,000 taxes owed.[80] In 2019, Pogue's son Ben Pogue and daughter-in-law Ashleigh Pogue gave a total of $238,541 to Trump Victory, a vehicle for Trump's reelection campaign.[80] Former Republican senator Rick Santorum was a leading advocate for Pogue's pardon; Paul Pogue had been a contributor to Santorum's presidential election bid.[80][81]
Obstructing the administration of the Internal Revenue Laws; aiding in the preparation of a false income tax return; making false statements on a loan application; making false statements (five counts)
Bank robbery; interference with commerce by armed robbery (six counts)
Ponder, the founder of the group Hope for Prisoners, was pardoned by Trump in a videorecorded segment broadcast at the 2020 Republican National Convention.[84][85] The segment "provoked widespread criticism that Trump was abusing his office for purely partisan purposes."[86]
Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine; attempted possession of 12 kilos of cocaine with intent to distribute; attempted possession of 9 kilos of cocaine; attempted possession of 75 kilos of cocaine; attempted possession of 10 kilos of cocaine; conspiracy to commit money laundering; money laundering ($1.5 million); structuring monetary transactions
Two years after Trump commuted Johnson's sentence (see below), he issued her a full pardon in August 2020.[87]
N/A – Flynn's pardon was issued after his conviction, but before his scheduled sentencing hearing.
Making false statements to Federal investigators
Flynn, Donald Trump's National Security Advisor, pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI in December 2017, during the Mueller special counsel investigation, but his sentencing was delayed.[88]
Collins is a former Republican congressman and a staunch Trump supporter; he pleaded guilty in 2019 to an insider trading scheme.[89][90] Collins' son Cameron Collins, who pleaded guilty to participating in the crime and was sentenced to probation, was not pardoned by Trump.[90]
At least 144 months' imprisonment; 36 months' supervised release; fines
Voluntary manslaughter; attempted voluntary manslaughter; using and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and aiding and abetting and causing an act to be done
132 months' imprisonment; three years' supervised release; $2,000 fine; sentence commuted in 2009
Assault with a dangerous weapon, assault with serious bodily injury, discharge of firearm in commission of a crime of violence, tampering with official proceedings and deprivation of rights under color of law.
Ramos and Compean were Border Patrol Agents who attempted to subdue a drug smuggler in 2005. First physically hitting the individuals, then with service weapons. Upon the man's escape, they made efforts to cover up the crime and did not report it. Their sentences were commuted by President George W. Bush in 2009.[93]
18 months' imprisonment, suspended; three years' probation; $250 fine
Illegally operating a still; unlawful possession of a still; operating without bond
Crum's criminal convictions were the result of his distillation of moonshine. His request was supported by former deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein and the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Oklahoma Brian Kuester.[94]
660 months and one day's imprisonment (amended to time served); 36 months' supervised release
Possession with intent to distribute marijuana (five counts); possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime (three counts); possession of a stolen firearm (two counts); possession of a firearm with a removed serial number; use of a controlled substance in possession of a firearm (two counts); money laundering (three counts)
In 2004, Angelos, a music producer from Sandy, Utah, was sentenced to 55 years in prison for selling marijuana while carrying a gun, although he never used it. The sentence was a mandatory minimum; the sentencing judge, Paul G. Cassell, wrote a lengthy opinion calling the sentence that the court was compelling to oppose "unjust and cruel and even irrational" and urging then-President George W. Bush to commute the sentence. Angelos was released in 2016 after serving 12 years in prison, after a court granted early release on the government's motion.[97]
Conspiracy to operate off-road vehicles on public land closed to off-road vehicles; operation of off-road vehicle on public lands closed to off-road vehicles
Lyman, a Republican politician was a San Juan County, Utah, county commissioner at the time of the crime and a member of the Utah House of Representatives at the time of the pardon. He led an "ATV protest" in which about 50 ATV riders, seeking to challenge federal management of public lands, drove on the Recapture Canyon in a southeastern Utah, a site containing Native American cliff dwellings. The Bureau of Land Management had closed the area to motorized traffic. Lyman was convicted of misdemeanor trespassing in 2014 and sentenced in 2015. Upon Trump's grant of the pardon, the Trump White House issued a statement asserting that Lyman had been "subjected to selective prosecution."[98]
Three years' probation conditioned upon eight months' home confinement
Conspiracy to commit offenses
Estranged wife of former U.S. Representative Duncan D. Hunter, whom Trump pardoned the previous day.[99] Trump's earlier pardon of the ex-congressman drew criticism from local officials and from the federal prosecutor on the case for omitting the ex-congressman's wife, who had pleaded guilty and cooperated with prosecutors.[90]
Charles Kushner is a wealthy real estate executive and the father of Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law.[100][101][102] After Charles Kushner learned that his brother-in-law was cooperating with federal investigators, Kushner hired a prostitute to lure the man into a motel room with a hidden camera, and sent the recording of the subsequent encounter to the man's wife (Kushner's sister) to retaliate against him.[100][102] Then-U.S. Attorney Chris Christie called the case "one of the most loathsome, disgusting crimes" that he prosecuted.[100] Kushner pleaded guilty to 18 counts, including tax evasion, witness tampering, and violating federal contribution regulations.[100] He was sentenced to two years in prison (and ultimately ended up spending 14 months) and ordered to pay $508,900 to the FEC.[100][103] After being released, Kushner returned to his real estate businesses.[100]
Trump pardoned Stone, one of his campaign advisors, having already commuted his sentence six months earlier.[101] Following the insurrection on January 6, 2021, Stone wanted a second pardon but did not receive one, and on a January 20 phone call he threatened to support the second impeachment of Trump.[104]
42 months' imprisonment; three years supervised release; $100,000 fine
Conspiracy to commit honest services fraud
McCarty was elected five times to the Palm Beach County, Florida county commission starting in 1990. In 2009, she pleaded guilty to honest services fraud for directing municipal bond-underwriting transactions to her husband Kevin McCarty (d. 2018) and other associates, and for accepting items of value from a company she supported for a Palm Beach County Convention Center hotel contract. McCarty served 21 months of her 3.5-year sentence.[106][99]
The Trump White House said that Wade had been convicted of several "cyber-related offenses" and showed "remorse and sought to make his community a safer place."[99]
Three years' imprisonment; five years probation (1985)
407 days imprisonment; five years probation (1987)
Conspiracy to distribute cocaine (1985)
Violation (1987)
A former cocaine offender, after his release, Christopher later became a prominent activist in Louisville, Kentucky, operating a youth nonprofit group. 2X was previously granted a full pardon for state crimes by then-Governor Matt Bevin. Supporters of 2X's request for federal executive clemency included Rand Paul and Tori Murden.[107]
18 months' imprisonment; three years' supervised release; $2,500 fine
Probation revocation
In 2008, Stephens pleaded guilty in 2008 to being a felon in possession a firearm, having previously been convicted of a felony in 1991, when he was 19 years old.[99]
Two years' probation conditioned upon 100 hours' community service per year and continued payment of balance owing to the Securities and Exchange Commission
37 months' imprisonment (commuted to time served on January 15, 1993); two years' supervised release
Conspiracy to violate civil rights; deprivation of rights under color of law (10 misdemeanor counts); false statements (six counts)
Occhipinti, a former INS agent, was convicted of crimes related to the illegally detention and searches of Hispanic store owners in New York City and a subsequent cover-up effort. After he spent seven months in prison, his sentence was commuted by President George H. W. Bush in 1991.[99]
12 months and one day's imprisonment; two years' supervised release; $50,000 fine
Mail fraud
Kanter, the founder of the "Dr. Comfort" diabetic shoe company, was convicted of mail fraud in connection with an illegal Medicare reimbursement scheme. In addition to the criminal penalty, Kanter paid a multimillion-dollar civil penalty.[99]
52 months' imprisonment (as amended by the Bureau of Prisons pursuant to court orders on March 5, 2014, and November 2, 2015); five years' supervised release
Eight months' imprisonment; two years' supervised release
Willful failure to pay over tax
Batmasian, a South Florida real-estate investor and property management businessman influential in Boca Raton, pleaded guilty to failing to pay more than quarter-million in payroll tax owed.[99][106]
Siljander was a Republican congressman from 1981 to 1987, from a southwestern Michigan district. He pleaded guilty in 2010 to acting as an unregistered foreign agent in connection with his work for Islamic American Relief Agency, which hired him in early 2004 to lobby to get the organization removed from a list of Senate committee list of entities suspected of providing funding for terrorism. Siljander also pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice; prosecutors stated that he had falsely claimed payments from IARA were charitable donations. IARA closed in October 2004 after it was added to the Treasury Department's list of global terrorist organizations due to the group's links to Osama bin Laden, al-Qaida and the Taliban. Siljander was never charged with terrorism. In issuing the pardon, the Trump White House cited Siljander's anti-abortion record while a congressman and his post-prison work abroad. Trump's decision to pardon Siljander was criticized by Republican congressman Fred Upton, who succeeded Siljander after defeating him in the 1986 Republican primary.[108]
120 months' imprisonment; two years' supervised release
Deprivation of rights under color of law
Mohr, a former Prince George's County, Maryland police officer and police dog handler, was convicted in 2001 of criminal deprivation of rights under color of law for directing her police dog to attack Ricardo G. Mendez, a homeless illegal immigrant, during an arrest in 1995. Mendez and his friend Jorge Herrara-Cruz were sleeping on the roof of a building when they were spotted by a police officer. The officer suspected the two men of being burglars since a number of reports had been made in the area. Six officers and a helicopter arrived at the scene. Mendez and Herrera-Cruz were surrounded in a semicircle against the building when Mohr released her dog. The dog bit at Mendez's legs and caused an injury which required 10 stitches. Mohr maintains that she believed Mendez was about to flee which caused her to let go of the leash. However, sergeant Dennis W. Bonn testified that the suspects were standing still with their hands up and admitted to granting permission for the attack when asked by Anthony Delozier, Mohr's senior officer.[109] She served 10 years in prison.[99] After Trump issued the pardon, the Washington Post published an op-ed by Alex Busansky, a member of the Justice Department Civil Rights Division team who prosecuted the case in 2001, who criticized the pardon as "odious" and wrote that it showed "the president's disdain, not just for the victims of police abuse, but for honest law enforcement officers who follow their training, see the humanity in all people, and do their job with respect and decency."[110]
27 months' imprisonment; two years' supervised release
Deprivation of rights under color of law
Brugman, a former U.S. Border Patrol agent, was convicted in 2002 of violating the civil rights of a man attempting to cross the border from Mexico into Texas. Court records showed that in January 2001, Brugman struck two men who were not resisting. Brugman denied wrongdoing, and his case became a cause célèbre among conservative figures.[111]
Two years' probation conditioned upon six months' home confinement and 160 hours' community service; $10,000 fine
Conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States; causing false records; causing false campaign contribution reports; false statements scheme
Benton and Tate were Ron Paul's campaign chairman and campaign manager, respectively, during Paul's unsuccessful 2012 campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. They were convicted at trial of concealing payments of $73,000 to state Senator Kent Sorenson in exchange for Sorenson's switching of his endorsement from Michele Bachmann to Paul ahead of the Iowa caucus. (The payments were disguised as "audio/visual expenses"). Senior U.S. District Judge Robert Pratt (who oversaw the criminal case against Sorenson) ridiculed Trump's pardon, saying, "It's not surprising that a criminal like Trump pardons other criminals."[112]
35 months' imprisonment; three years' supervised release
Possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon
Barney, of Enoch, Utah, was sentenced to 35 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm (he had previously been convicted of a felony for marijuana distribution). He was released several years before the pardon.[113]
24 months' imprisonment; two years' supervised release
Making false statements relating to health care matters (two counts); health care fraud (two counts)
Behrens, a former chief financial officer of Tampa, Florida-based WellCare Health Plans, pleaded guilty to a charge involving a false statement in connection with a scheme to defraud Medicaid.[114]
Six months' imprisonment; three years' supervised release, conditioned upon 12 months' home detention; $50,000 fine
Making false statements relating to health care matters
Bereday is the former general counsel of Tampa, Florida-based WellCare Health Plans; he was convicted in 2013 of fraud and making false statements in connection with a scheme to defraud Medicaid.[114]
60 months' imprisonment, conditioned upon 200 hours' community service; $10,000 fine
Making false statements (two counts)
Clay is a former vice president of Tampa, Florida-based WellCare Health Plans; he was convicted in 2013 of fraud and making false statements in connection with a scheme to defraud Medicaid.[114]
60 months and two days' imprisonment; three years' supervised release
Bank robbery; use of a firearm during crime of violence
Along with a co-worker, Crosby committed a bank robbery in Arizona in 1992, at the age of 20. He spent five years in prison. After his release, he had a clean record, and became an emergency medical technician and a Mesa business operator.[115]
100 months' imprisonment; three years' supervised release; $1,804,031.50 restitution
Conspiracy to commit crimes against the United States; tax evasion
Cunningham, a former seven-term Republican congressman from a San Diego, California-based district, pleaded guilty in 2005 to conspiracy and tax evasion for taking $2 million in bribes from defense contractors in exchange for federal contracts, possibly the largest bribery scandal in the history of the U.S. Congress (seeCunningham scandal). He served eight years in federal prison, and lived in Arkansas after his release.[116] Cunningham kept a "bribe menu" on congressional stationery listing the payments military contractors should make to him in exchange for his help securing government contracts.[117] The pardon is conditional and preserves Cunningham's court-ordered obligation to pay off the $3.6 million in restitution and forfeiture.[116] Trump's pardon of Cunningham was condemned by the federal prosecutors who led the case, as well as others.[116]
84 months' imprisonment; three years' supervised release; $2,976,937 restitution
Wire fraud; money laundering
Erickson, a Republican political operative, pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and money laundering; court records stated that he was part of schemes that bilked $5.3 million from 78 investors from 1996 to 2018, including a scheme involving fake housing in the Baaken oil fields in North Dakota. Erickson told investors that they would receive returns of up to 150%; he spent the money received from the scheme on personal expenses, including for Maria Butina, to whom Erickson was romantically linked. Butina was later revealed to be a Russian agent. Erickson was sentenced to seven years in prison, and was serving his sentence at the time Trump pardoned him. In issuing the pardon, Trump's White House asserted that Erickson had committed only a "minor financial crime." Trump's aide Kellyanne Conway advocated the pardon.[118]
36 months' imprisonment; two years' supervised release; $50,000 fine
Health care fraud (two counts)
Farha is the former president and CEO of Tampa, Florida-based WellCare Health Plans; he was convicted in 2013 of fraud and making false statements in connection with a scheme to defraud Medicaid.[114]
Violating mandatory safety standards; making false material statements and representations
Ford, who pleaded guilty in 2003 to making false statements to federal mining regulators, later became an executive at a Western Kentucky coal company.[119]
Hayes, a former Republican congressman from North Carolina (1999–2009) and former chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party, pleaded guilty in 2019 to lying to the FBI regarding a scheme by Greg Lindberg, billionaire insurance businessman and political donor, to bribe Insurance CommissionMike Causey. In addition to Hayes, Lindberg and two of his associated were charged. Causey, who contacted law enforcement authorities and helped them investigate, was never accused of wrongdoing.[120]
July 3, 1996 (Deborah and Gregory); July 3, 2003 (Gregory)
Deborah: 12 months and one day of imprisonment; two years' supervised release; $20,000 fine; Gregory: 24 months' imprisonment; two years' supervised release; $40,000 fine; Martin: 15 months' imprisonment; two years' supervised release; $40,000 fine
Deborah and Gregory: Conspiracy; misbranding (10 counts); wire fraud (three counts); mail fraud (two counts); Martin: Conspiracy; misbranding (10 counts)
Gregory, Deborah, and Martin Jorgensen were South Dakotans who in 1996 were convicted of knowingly selling misbranded beef. Gregory Jorgensen was subsequently elected to the Tripp County Board of Commissioners. Martin Jorgensen's pardon was posthumous.[121]
12 months and one day's imprisonment; one year's supervised release
Health care fraud (two counts)
Kale is the former vice president of Tampa, Florida-based WellCare Health Plans; he was convicted in 2013 of fraud and making false statements in connection with a scheme to defraud Medicaid.[114]
One month's imprisonment; three years' supervised release; and a $20,000 fine
Obstruction of justice in a health care investigation
Nahas, a surgeon from Somers Point, New Jersey, pleaded guilty in 2002 to obstruction of justice in connection with his concealment of documents that had been subpoenaed in an investigation. He spent one month in prison in 2003, and was also sentenced to two months of weekend confinement in a halfway house, three months of home confinement, and a fine of $20,000. Nahas's pardon was supported by Republican congressman Jeff Van Drew, to whose campaign Nahas had donated $3,000.[122]
292 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release; a $10,000 fine
Conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance; conspiracy to import a controlled substance; money laundering
Povah served 9 years of a 24-year sentence for ecstasy offenses. Her sentence was commuted in 2000 by President Bill Clinton before her 2021 pardon from Trump. After her release, she founded the CAN-DO Foundation (Calling for All Nonviolent Drug Offenders) Foundation, a criminal justice reform organization.[123]
Tamman, a former partner at the law firms Nixon Peabody and Greenberg Traurig, was convicted of 2012 for conspiring with a client to obstruct a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into a $22 million Ponzi scheme. Tamman was fired by the law firms and disbarred by the State Bar of California in 2016. Alan Dershowitz, who was one of Trump's lawyers, represented Tamman in his unsuccessful appeal. Convicted in 2012, Tamman was released from prison in February 2019. His pardon was supported by the Aleph Institute, which was influential in Trump's clemency decisionmaking; the Trump White House also stated that former FBI director Louis Freeh and former federal prosecutor Kendall Coffey supported the pardon.[124]
False statements (two counts, as amended on appeal)
In 2010, Banki, an Iran-born naturalized U.S. citizen, was sentenced to 30 months' imprisonment for violating U.S. sanctions laws by transferring about $3.3 million between Iran and the United States through the hawala system. He served 665 days before being released, after his sanctions conviction was vacated on appeal (his conviction for making a false statement was upheld). In announcing the pardon, the Trump White House cited Banki's doctorate from Princeton University, his community work and "sincere love and respect for the United States" and support from Senator Dianne Feinstein, Representative John Lewis, and others.[125]
Conspiracy to commit wire fraud; conspiracy to commit money laundering
Trump pardoned Bannon, a former top 2016 campaign advisor to Trump and his former White House chief strategist, after Bannon was arrested and indicted in August 2020 on charges of misappropriating money donated to the "We Build the Wall" organization for personal expenses. Bannon had pleaded not guilty and had not yet been brought to trial when Trump issued the pardon. Bannon and Trump had a strained relationship after Bannon left the White House in August 2017; Bannon had criticized Trump's son, and Trump responded by publicly disparaging Bannon. But Bannon returned to Trump's favor after he supported Trump's failed re-election campaign and Trump's efforts to overturn the election.[126] Trump did not pardon Bannon's co-defendants: Brian Kolfage, Andrew Badolato, and Timothy Shea, all of whom pleaded not guilty.[90]
Bernadett, a physician and former owner of the Pacific Hospital in Long Beach, California, pleaded guilty in 2019 to failing to report a years-long health care fraud that scammed the California worker's compensation system of millions of dollars. Bernadett was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison; he was pardoned before he served prison time, which had been delayed due to his poor health and the COVID-19 pandemic. In announcing the pardon, the Trump White House referred to Bernadett's charitable work and noted that he did not initiate the kickback scheme.[127]
Bowker, of New York, was convicted in 1993 of wildlife trafficking for illegally arranging the delivery of 22 Timber rattlesnakes to the Miami Serpentarium (a tourist attraction in South Florida) in an swap with Rudy "Cobra King" Komarek for 22 American alligators. He was sentenced to two years' probation.[131]
Broidy, a California businessman and Republican fundraiser, was a major donor to Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and Trump's inauguration, and was also a deputy finance chairman for the Republican National Committee. He pleaded guilty in October 2020 to conspiring to violate foreign lobbying laws by accepting $9 million from Jho Low, a fugitive Malaysian businessman, in order to influence the Trump administration's Justice Department to drop its investigation into fraud and embezzlement at the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1MDB (see1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal), and by seeking to extradite wealthy Chinese dissident Guo Wengui from the United States as part of a bid to get payoffs from China and the United Arab Emirates. As part of his guilty plea, Broidy admitted that he knowingly failed to register as a foreign agent and agreed to forfeit $6.6 million. Broidy faced a sentencing hearing in February 2021 before Trump pardoned him on his last day in office.[132] Trump did not pardon Nickie Lum Davis, a Hawaii businesswoman who had pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting Broidy's crimes, and who had cooperated with the government; Lum Davis's attorney called Trump's decision to grant clemency to Broidy, but not his less culpable underling, "incomprehensible" and unjust.[12]
Brownstein, a hedge fund operator and son of prominent Denver, Colorado attorney and lobbyist Norman Brownstein, pleaded guilty in 2012 to insider trading. His company made a $2.44 million profit from an trade in energy companies that he made after learning about a pending corporate acquisition from a friend.[133]
Conspiracy to defraud the United States; fraud by wire, radio, or television (35 counts); scheme to defraud: money, state tax stamps (transportation of stolen property (14 counts); money laundering - racketeering (laundering monetary instruments conspiracy)
Buti, a prominent restaurateur, had partnered with Trump in the late 1990s on Trump Management, a modeling agency. He was subsequently investigated on allegations of stealing from his chain of restaurants, and was indicted in 2000. Buti denied wrongdoing and was tried and acquitted on similar charges in his native Italy. He was never extradited to New York to stand trial on the U.S. charges, and Trump's pardon terminated the still-open case against him.[134]
Possession of firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon
Carter, a rapper who performs under the name Lil Wayne, pleaded guilty in December 2020 to being a felon in possession of a firearm (specifically, a gold-plated .45-caliber Glock).[126]
13 months' imprisonment; two years' supervised release; $20,000 fine
Conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States
Conway was the chief financial officer of Rent-Way Inc., a rental purchase chain. In 2003, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to falsify accounting records, and was released from prison the next year. He subsequently became a restaurateur based in Charlotte, North Carolina.[130]
In 2007 Corkern paid $25,000 to a Panola County administrator to secure a $400,000 payment to the Tri-Lakes Medical Center to which Corkern's business, Batesville Hospital Management, provided services. The Trump White House press release said that the pardon was supported by Republican U.S. Senators Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi; and Phil Bryant, the Republican former governor of Mississippi.[135][136]
52 months' imprisonment; three years' supervised release; $1,021,888 restitution
Health care fraud
Fordham was an Augusta, Georgiapharmacist convicted in 2005 of his involvement in a health care fraud scheme. Under the scheme, Fordham would obtain contracts to operate the pharmacy of Community Mental Health Center of East Central Georgia, and then give a third of his large bonus in kickbacks to former State Representative Robin L. Williams.[137]
12 months and one day's imprisonment; three years' supervised release
Two counts of failing to pay payroll taxes to the IRS and one count of making false statements on a bank loan application
Gilmore was the former chairman of the Ocean County, New Jersey Republican Party, and a power broker in New Jersey Republican politics. He was convicted by a jury in 2019, but maintained that he was innocent and contended that his failure to make timely payments owed to the IRS was attributable to a hoarding disorder. He was sentenced in 2020, but was free on bail pending the appeal. Bill Stepien, Trump's former campaign manager and a longtime associate of Gilmore's, lobbied for the pardon, which was supported by other influential New Jersey figures, such as Chris Christie, Jim McGreevey, Jim Florio, Donald DiFrancesco, Kim Guadagno, and Tom MacArthur.[138]
Hayes was one of several people convicted of particiting in an insider trading ring that operated between 2010 and 2012 led by a Wells Fargo employee who disclosed confidential information about impending mergers.[139]
45 days' imprisonment; two years' supervised release, conditioned upon an unspecified term of home confinement and community service; $20,000 fine (as amended)
Holtz, an influential Miami, Florida banker and philanthropist who founded Capital Bank, pleaded guilty in October 1994 to lying to a federal grand jury about paying tens of thousands of dollars in bribes to Alex Daoud, a corrupt city commissioner (and later mayor) of Miami Beach. Holtz's previous 2006 pardon application was denied by President George W. Bush.[141]
Jemal, age 79 at the time of the pardon, was an influential Washington, D.C., real estate developer who was convicted of wire fraud in 2006 in connection with an efforts to influence a local government official to obtain profitable government leases. Jemal's leasing chief and two other employees were also convicted on varying charges. Jemal has been a major political donor to both parties over the years, and is a friend of Jared Kushner; he donated $100,000 to the Republican National Committee in 2020. In issuing the pardon, the White House referred to Jemal's charitable work and said he was "credited with rebuilding many urban inner cities." Trump did not grant pardons to Jemal's underlings; this was criticized by the lead prosecutor on the case, who said that the subordinates were "far less culpable" than Jemal and that the pardon sent a message "that there are two standards of accountability: One for the wealthy and well-connected, and one for everyone else."[142]
Kurson, an ally of the Trump family, was appointed the editor-in-chief of The New York Observer in 2013 by Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who at the time owned the newspaper. Kurson and Kushner became close friends. Kurson also wrote a speech for Trump in his 2016 campaign, and was a longtime associate of Rudolph W. Giuliani, Trump's lawyer. In October 2020, Kurson was charged with cyberstalking three people and harassing two other people.[143] He was pardoned on the last full day of Trump's term, before he could stand trial.[144]
Levandowski, age 40 at the time of the pardon, stole trade secrets from Google's autonomous vehicle company Waymo, where he was an engineer, after he had left the company and was negotiating a position at Uber; Levandowski pleaded guilty as part of a plea deal, and was sentenced in August 2020 to 18 months' imprisonment. Levandowski's request for a pardon was supported by billionaire Trump ally Peter Thiel. as well as others.[145]
Liberty is a former Maine developer who pleaded guilty in 2016 to unlawfully donating $22,500 in 2011 to the primary campaign of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in violation of the federal campaign contribution limit ($2,500). He was sentenced to four months' imprisonment, one year of supervised release, and $100,000 fine, and was released from federal prison in 2018. In subsequent years, he donated to Republican organizations and Trump's campaign. A federal grand jury in 2019 indicted him and an associate on charges of scamming $50 million from investors; they have pleaded not guilty. At the time of the pardon, Liberty was living in Florida.[146]
18 months' imprisonment, including approximately four months' community confinement; three years' supervised release
Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute marijuana and cocaine
McSwain was a Greenville, South Carolina police officer who pleaded guilty in 1993 to involvement in a cocaine trafficking conspiracy, in which he was one of 26 co-defendants, including Richard Riley Jr., the son of former South Carolina Governor Richard Riley. U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina sought the pardon for McSwain.[147]
One year and one day's imprisonment; three years' supervised release, conditioned upon 300 hours' community service; $30,000 fine (April 30, 2014)
Illegal gambling
Helly Nahmad is a Madison Avenueart dealer who is a member of the wealthy Nahmad family and son of the noted art collector David Nahmad. The younger Nahmad owns the entirety of Trump Tower's 51st floor, reportedly purchased at the cost of $21 million. He pleaded guilty to organizing an illegal $100 million gambling ring with suspected links to Russian organized crime out of Trump Tower. His art gallery in New York's Carlyle Hotel was raided by federal agents in 2013; Nahmad later pleaded guilty and was sentenced in 2014. He was also ordered to forfeit $6.4 million in earnings. Alimzhan Tokhtakhunov was indicted in connection with the case, but was never arrested.[148]
Olberding was a mortgage broker in North Carolina who, with along with a co-defendant, arranged loans with financial institutions between 2007 and 2009 with fraudulent information.[150]
36 months' imprisonment; three years supervised release; $25,000 fine
Conspiracy to commit extortion, attempted extortion and wire and mail fraud; honest wire services wire fraud (six counts); conspiracy to commit money laundering; concealment of money laundering; transactions with criminally derived funds (two counts); extortion under color of official right (two counts); conspiracy to make false statement; insurance fraud (two counts); racketeering
Renzi, a former Republican congressman from 2003 to 2009 from a northeastern Arizona district, was convicted in 2013 on 17 federal counts, including racketeering, money laundering, extortion, and filing false statements with regulators. He served three years in prison and was released in 2017. Renzi denied wrongdoing and insisted that the prosecution was politically motivated.[152]
18 months' imprisonment; two years' supervised release; $15 million fine
Conspiracy to commit securities and mail fraud; fraud in connection with Brocade stock, aiding, abetting and willfully causing; false SEC filing, aiding, abetting and willfully causing (three counts); falsifying books, records and accounts, aiding, abetting and willfully causing; false statement to accountant, aiding, abetting and willfully causing (four counts)
Reyes was the first person to be convicted of an offense related to options backdating. As CEO of Brocade Communications Systems, he falsified financial records and made false statements to accountants between 2000 and 2004 regarding stock option compensation.[153]
Espionage - conspiracy to gather or deliver national defense information (two counts); violation of Subversive Activities Control Act - receiving or obtaining classified information by foreign agent
Sella was an Israeli Air Force officer and Mossad operative who recruited and handledJonathan Pollard, an American naval intelligence analyst who spied for Israel. Shortly before Pollard was arrested, Sella fled the U.S. He was indicted for espionage in 1987, but was never extradited to stand trial. The Trump White House said that Sella's petition for a pardon was requested by the Israeli government and supported by Miriam Adelson, the wife of conservative mega-donor Sheldon Adelson.[154]
50 months' imprisonment; four years' supervised release
Cocaine distribution
Sherrill served five years in federal prison for cocaine distribution; after his release, he became a Nashville, Tennessee businessman, entrepreneur, non-profit founder, and author. Sherrill was previously pardoned in 2019 by Governor Bill Haslam. His pardon was supported by congressman Mark E. Green.[155]
120 months' imprisonment; three years' supervised release; $1,934,169.31 restitution
Use of fire to commit a felony
In 2000, Steib was convicted for her involvement in an auto theft that culminated in the burning of a Tyler, Texas car dealership; she was released from prison in 2009 after serving nine years.[156]
Casey Urlacher is the mayor of Mettawa, Illinois, and the younger brother of former Chicago Bears player Brian Urlacher, who visited the Trump White House in March 2020 and contributed to Republican and Trump's campaigns and Republican organizations. In February 2020, Casey Urlacher was indicted on two counts of conspiring to engage in illegal offshore gambling in connection with his recruitment of bettors for a Costa Rica-based website in exchange for a cut of the proceeds. Urlacher was one of 10 people charged in the federal grand jury indictment; none of the others received pardons. The Republican leader in the Illinois State Senate, Dan McConchie, who defeated Urlacher in a 2016 primary election, criticized the pardon of an indicted defendant who had not yet been convicted, saying: "Pardons should be done on the merits of the case, not based on a relationship with the President. This sort of practice undermines the public's faith in our system. We're supposed to be a nation of laws, not one based on people getting benefits just because of who they know."[157]
60 months' imprisonment; four years' supervised release
Possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute
Wall, age 63 at the time of the pardon, of Prior Lake, Minnesota, pleaded guilty to a methamphetamine offense in 1992; as part of a plea agreement, a count of using a firearm during a drug-trafficking offense was dismissed. Wall completed his prison sentence in 1996. The White House press release announcing the pardon said that it was supported by former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein; Andrew M. Luger, the former U.S. Attorney for Minnesota; and the Office of the Pardon Attorney.[158]
Conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and honest services mail and wire fraud; conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery; money laundering conspiracy; wire fraud and honest services wire fraud (six counts); federal programs bribery (two counts); filing a false tax return
Zangrillo is a prominent Miami businessman and the founder of the private investment firm Dragon Global. He was arrested in March 2019 and charged with taking part in the Varsity Blues college admissions bribery scheme by paying $250,000 to get his daughter accepted as a transfer student to the University of Southern California (USC). Zangrillo pleaded not guilty, and prior to the pardon, he was set to stand trial in September 2021. The White House said that the pardon was supported by USC alumnus and university trustee Thomas J. Barrack Jr., a longtime Trump friend who chaired his inauguration committee. However, Barrack denied involvement in the pardon.[159]
Pirro, a former power broker in New York Republican politics, is the former husband of Jeanine Pirro, the Fox News host and consistent Trump ally.[134]
Commutations
Trump issued 94 commutations: one in 2017, four in 2018, two in 2019, five in 2020, and 83 in January 2021.[45]
324 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release; $26,852,152.51 restitution
Bank fraud (14 counts); false statements and reports to a bank (24 counts); wire fraud (14 counts); mail fraud (nine counts); money laundering and aiding and abetting (10 counts); willful violation of order of Secretary of Agriculture and aiding and abetting (15 counts)
Rubashkin was the chief executive of Agriprocessors, a large meatpacking corporation. The company's plant in Postville, Iowa, once the U.S.'s largest kosher meatpacking operation, was the raided by immigration agents in 2008, and almost 400 undocumented workers, including several children, were detained. Rubashkin was convicted of bank fraud and related offenses for fabricating collateral for loans; prosecutors said that as a result of Rubashkin's conduct, banks lost more than $26 million. After his fraud conviction, the immigration-related charges against Rubashkin were dropped; some of the plant's managers and supervisors were convicted of harboring illegal immigrants (a felony) and approximately 300 employees at the plant (mostly Guatemalans) were convicted of identity theft.[161] The commutation released Rubashkin from prison 19 years earlier than planned, but left in place a term of supervised release and a substantial restitution obligation.[162]
12 months and one day's imprisonment; 3 years' supervised release; amended to 60 months' imprisonment on October 7, 2015 (Steven); 3 months' imprisonment; 3 years' supervised release; amended to 60 months' imprisonment on October 7, 2015 (Dwight)
In addition to the full pardon on the same day, Trump commuted the Hammonds' arson prison sentences to time served,[171] and ordered their immediate release.[172]
Nahmani, an Israel-born Florida resident, was convicted in 2015 of conspiracy to distribute synthetic drugs acquired from China, and was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment.[173][174]Hakeem Jeffries, Mark Meadows, and Alan Dershowitz supported Nahmani's clemency request.[174] In commuting Nahmani, the Trump White House cited his lack of a previous criminal history, his five young children, and the terminal illness of his wife.[174][70][175]
Suhl formerly operated faith-based behavioral healthcare treatment centers for juveniles in Arkansas, including a residential center called Lord's Ranch (later renamed Trinity Behavioral Health) and several outpatient centers.[176] He was convicted in 2016 on four counts of bribery[70] in connection with a scheme from 2007 to 2011 to increase Medicaid payments to his company through payments made a state Arkansas Department of Human Services official (an ex-state legislator) via an intermediary.[176] Both the official and the intermediary were also prosecuted and sentenced to federal prison.[176] In a statement, the White House said that Trump's decision to commute the sentence was influenced by support from former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee and former U.S. attorney Bud Cummins.[176][70]
Fourteen years in prison; two years' supervised release; $20,000 fine
wire fraud (10 counts); conspiracy/attempted extortion (four counts); corrupt solicitation of funds; conspiracy to corruptly solicit funds (two counts); making false statements
Blagojevich, a Democrat, was a former governor of Illinois and a contestant on Trump's reality TV show, The Celebrity Apprentice.[75] Convicted of attempting to sell the Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama, plus extortion by withholding state funds being directed towards a children's hospital and a race track.[177] The Illinois House impeached him for abuse of power and corruption. In two separate and unanimous votes of the Illinois Senate, he was removed from office and prohibited from ever holding public office in the state of Illinois again.[178] See also: Rod Blagojevich corruption charges.[75]
35 years' imprisonment (as amended); three years' supervised release; and $87,533,863.46 restitution
Conspiracy to commit health care fraud; health care fraud (two counts); conspiracy to defraud the United States and to receive and pay health care kickbacks; conspiracy to commit money laundering; money laundering (16 counts); structuring to avoid reporting requirements (three counts)
Negron, of Hialeah, Florida, age 49 at the time of the commutation, was convicted for her role in a major Medicare fraud scheme. The commutation released her from prison after serving eight years of her 35-year sentence and relieved her from her obligation to pay the remainder of $87 million in restitution.[21]
20 years, 8 months' imprisonment; 5 years' supervised release
Conspiracy to distribute, possess with intent to distribute, and manufacture more than 50 grams of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine base (crack cocaine) and aiding and abetting; possession with intent to distribute cocaine base and aiding and abetting; possession of cocaine with intent to manufacture cocaine base and aiding and abetting; receipt of firearms by a person under felony indictment and aiding and abetting; possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes and aiding and abetting
Hall, of Lubbock, Texas, was convicted on various drug charges and served almost 14 years before being granted clemency. The commutation of Hall's sentence was urged by Alice Marie Johnson.[179]
Stone is a friend and adviser of Trump, who was a member of Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. In November 2019, Stone was convicted by a jury on all seven charges that he faced, in relation to his actions during the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. The sentencing judge stated that Stone had been "prosecuted for covering up for the president"—Trump himself. In June 2020, around a month before the commutation, Trump had declared that Stone "can sleep well at night!" At the time of the commutation, Stone had been scheduled to report to federal prison around a week later.[180][181][182]
Stockman, a former Republican congressman from Texas, had been convicted and sentenced to ten years in prison for misusing $1.25 million in donations from political donors by spending the money on personal expenses rather than charity, as he had pledged. The commutation released Stockman from prison after two years.[184]
35 years' imprisonment (as amended); three years' supervised release; and $87,533,863.46 restitution
Conspiracy to commit health care fraud; health care fraud (two counts); conspiracy to defraud the United States and to receive and pay health care kickbacks; conspiracy to commit money laundering; money laundering (16 counts); structuring to avoid reporting requirements (three counts)
Commutation of supervised release, after earlier commutation of prison sentence in February 2020.
20 years, 8 months' imprisonment; 5 years' supervised release
Conspiracy to distribute, possess with intent to distribute, and manufacture more than 50 grams of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine base (crack cocaine) and aiding and abetting; possession with intent to distribute cocaine base and aiding and abetting; possession of cocaine with intent to manufacture cocaine base and aiding and abetting; receipt of firearms by a person under felony indictment and aiding and abetting; possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes and aiding and abetting
Commutation of supervised release, after earlier commutation of prison sentence in February 2020.
240 months' imprisonment; three years supervised release; $5,530,207 restitution
Conspiracy to defraud the United States and pay and receive health care kickbacks; receipt of kickbacks in connection with a federal health care program (two counts); payment of kickbacks in connection with a federal health care program (four counts); conspiracy to commit money laundering; money laundering (six counts); conspiracy to commit federal program bribery; conspiracy to commit federal program bribery and honest services wire fraud; obstruction of justice
Esformes ran a network of nursing homes in Chicago that he used to perpetrate a massive Medicaid fraud scheme involving about $1.3 billion in fraudulent claims. Esformes used the proceeds of the scheme for luxury goods and private jet travel. The Aleph Institute, a group that was influential in Trump's clemencymaking, lobbied for his commutation; the organization received $65,000 from Esformes's family from 2016 to 2019, during Esformes' prosecution and imprisonment.[103][185]
240 months' imprisonment; three years supervised release; $15,283,985 restitution
Conspiracy to commit health care fraud; conspiracy to commit money laundering[99]
Gozes-Wagner took part in a health care fraud scheme. Her codefendants, who led the scheme, accepted a plea deal and were sentenced to between five and ten years in prison; Gozes-Wagner rejected a four-year plea offer and chose to go to trial. She was convicted and sentenced to 20 years. Gozes-Wagner's clemency request was supported by a group of former judges, federal prosecutors, law professors, and attorneys.[186]
480 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release; $179,076,941.89 restitution
Bank fraud (three counts); false statement in connection with federally insured loan (three counts); obstruction of official proceeding
Clark, of Orlando, Florida, masterminded a $300 million Ponzi scheme targeting residents of Clearwater and other Florida cities as part of a vacation rental scam. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison in 2016.[187] Trump's commutation immediately released Clark from prison, but left intact his five years of supervised released and obligation to pay $179 million in restitution.[187] The Tampa Bay Times editorial board criticized Trump's commutation of Clark's sentence, describing it as an "outrageous injustice reeks of favoritism and privilege and confirms how easily a president can abuse clemency power."[188]
180 months' imprisonment; three years' supervised release (as amended by order of December 2, 2015)
Mail fraud; engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity
Harder, the founder and CEO of Sunwest Management (once the U.S. third-largest assisted living chain, operating more than 300 homes at its peak), was convicted of defrauding investors and money laundering after the company collapsed. He was sentenced to 12 years; Trump commuted the prison term.[189]
168 months' imprisonment (as amended); five years' supervised release
Conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and 280 grams or more of crack cocaine; attempted possession of a detectable amount of cocaine with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a school; felon in possession of a firearm; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime
Young, of Clarksville, Tennessee, was initially sentenced to life imprisonment under a federal three-strikes law, for a third drug-related conviction (his prior two convictions were when he was 18 and 19 years old). After sentencing judge Kevin H. Sharp retired from the bench, he advocated clemency for Young.[190]
180 months' imprisonment; 5 years' imprisonment (as amended September 2019)
Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; possession of a list I chemical with knowledge and reasonable cause to believe it would be used to manufacture a controlled substance
336 months' imprisonment; three years' supervised release; $4,799,826.61 restitution
Racketeering conspiracy; interference with commerce by extortion (five counts); bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds; mail fraud (10 counts); wire fraud (two counts); subscribing false tax return (six counts)
Kilpatrick, a Democrat who was mayor of Detroit from 2002 until his resignation in 2008, was tried and convicted on 24 corruption counts for using his office to enrich himself and associates, and was sentenced to 28 years. Kilpatrick denied responsibility, but all his appeals were rejected. Trump's commutation reduced his sentence to time served, releasing him from prison immediately (20 years early) rather than in 2037. Along with the sentence given to Jimmy Dimora, Kilpatrick's sentence was a record length for a public corruption scandal. U.S. Attorney Matthew J. Schneider strongly criticized Trump's grant of a commutation to Kilpatrick, calling him a "disgraced ... notorious and unrepentant criminal" who "earned every day he served in federal prison for the horrible crimes he committed against the people of Detroit." The current mayor of Detroit, Mike Duggan, supported Kilpatrick's commutation, calling him "a person of great talent who still has much to contribute." Governor Gretchen Whitmer said Kilpatrick's crimes were "reprehensible" but that his sentence was harsh. The commutation left intact Kilpatrick's obligation to pay $195,000 owed to the IRS and $1.5 million in restitution to the City of Detroit. Prior to receiving clemency, Kilpatrick had praised Trump, writing letters saying that his tenure had been an "unprecedented success."[191] Kilpatrick's bid for clemency was supported by a number of Trump allies, including Diamond and Silk and Peter Karmanos Jr.[134]
36 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release; $49,307,759.84 restitution
Bank fraud
Ashley was chief business strategist at Melville, New York-based Lend America, a large mortgage lender that imploded in 2009, resulting in $49 million in federally guaranteed loans (backed by Ginnie Mae) from being unfunded. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Dorothy Eisenberg wrote in 2013 that Ashley "diverted over $50 million" of money from Lend America's parent company's "for his own benefit, and/or for the benefit of his affiliated entities or relatives"; Ashley pleaded guilty to bank fraud in 2011 and was sentenced in 2019. Trump's commutation eliminated Ashley's prison term (which he had been ordered to serve starting in March 2021). However, the commutation left intact the court's order to serve five years of supervised release, pay $49 million in restitution, and forfeit $800,000.[192]
10 years' imprisonment; five years' supervised release; $100,000 fine
Conspiracy to import marijuana into the United States; money laundering
Braun, of Staten Island, served one year of a 10-year sentence for running a large-scale drug trafficking organization. Court records indicated that Braun had a history of violence and threats. After being indicted in 2009, he pleaded guilty, but while on bail awaiting sentencing, he fled to Canada and then to Israel, where court records indicate he continued to lead the drug ring. Braun was arrested after he returned to the United States in Fall 2009 but wasn't sentenced until 2019 and wasn't ordered to prison until January 2020. The commutation of his sentence was granted by Trump outside the usual DOJ process. Braun continues to face a state criminal investigation and possible civil liability from a Federal Trade Commission and New York State Attorney General suit arising from an entirely separate matter: Braun's alleged involvement in a predatory loan operation that targeted and threatened small-business owners.[193]
Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of 5 kilograms or more of cocaine, 50 grams or more of cocaine base, and a quantity of 3,4- methylenedioxymethamphetamine
Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine; engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise; use of the telephone to facilitate felony drug distribution (six counts); possession with intent to distribute cocaine (six counts); distribution of cocaine (four counts); conducting financial transactions with money from drug transactions (two counts)
Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana; conspiracy to commit money laundering; structuring currency transactions and aiding and abetting the same
Cooper, of Los Angeles, age 41 at the time of the commutation, was sentenced to life for conspiracy to distribute marijuana under a three-strikes law.[194]
Life imprisonment plus five years' imprisonment; five years' supervised release
Conspiracy to distribute cocaine; distribute cocaine (four counts); murder of DEA agent; murder of DEA agent in furtherance of drug conspiracy; use of firearm during drug trafficking crime
Davidson was a drug kingpin who was sentenced to life for ordering a robbery in 1990 that led to the murder of Wallie Howard, a Syracuse, New York police officer working as an undercover investigator. The commutation released Davison, age 52 at the time of the commutation, from prison after serving 29 years of a life sentence. Davidson never accepted responsibility for the crime and maintained for years that he was wrongfully convicted. Trump's commutation of Davidson's sentence was criticized by the region's congressman John Katko, Syracuse Police Chief Kenton Buckner, Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick, and the federal prosecutor who handled the trial.[195]
Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute in excess of five kilograms of cocaine
Fragoso, age 66 at the time of the commitation, sold 10 kilograms (22 lb) of cocaine in 1990 to a DEA informant; he was sentenced to life imprisonment because it was his third offense.[156]
211 months' imprisonment (as amended by orders of November 15, 2015 and January 9, 2017); five years' supervised release
Money laundering; conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine and 50 grams or more of cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine; possession of a firearm during and in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime
Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine (two counts); use of a communication facility to facilitate the distribution of methamphetamine
235 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release
Possession with intent to distribute less than 500 grams of cocaine hydrochloride; using/carrying a firearm during or in relation to a drug trafficking crime
262 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release
Possession with intent to distribute less than 500 grams of cocaine hydrochloride; using/carrying a firearm during or in relation to a drug trafficking crime
Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine and 50 grams or more of cocaine base; Unlawful possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, attempted unlawful possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base
350 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release; $34,915,321.30 restitution
Conspiracy; mail fraud in connection with telemarketing; wire fraud in connection with telemarketing (12 counts)
Kimoto had served 12 years of his 29-year sentence, convicted of leading a telemarketing scheme involving deceptive credit card offers. His commutation was recommended by Jewel and Ivanka Trump.[197]
180 months' imprisonment (as amended by order of October 24, 2012); five years' supervised release
Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and a quantity of marijuana; distribution and possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine; distribution and possession with intent to distribute a quantity of marijuana; using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime
211 months' imprisonment, five years' supervised release
Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana (two counts); distribution of marijuana (two counts); maintaining a drug-involved premises; conspiracy to launder money
Conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine (mixture) within 1,000 feet of a protected location; conspiracy to commit money laundering
168 months' imprisonment (as amended by order of August 3, 2015); five years' supervised release
Conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine; possession of 500 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute
Continuing criminal enterprise; conspiracy to manufacture, distribute and to possess with intent to distribute marijuana; manufacturing of marijuana and aiding and abetting (two counts); using and carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking offense; possession of a firearm silencer without a serial number; possession of a machine gun (two counts)
Conspiracy to commit bank fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud, fraudulent use of Social Security numbers, fraudulent transfer of identification, fraud against the Department of Housing and Urban Development, money laundering, engagement in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity, and obstruction of justice; bank fraud (30 counts); wire fraud (60 counts); money laundering (73 counts); obstruction of justice; perjury (4 counts)
McFarland, an Atlanta real estate closing attorney who was the ringleader of a mortgage fraud scheme that lasted from the late 1990s to early 2000s. The loans obtained by fraud totaled almost $20 million. She had been convicted of 169 counts in 2005. The commutation released her from prison after serving 15 years of a 30-year sentence; her request for clemency was supported by the CAN-DO Foundation.[198]
204 months' imprisonment; three years' supervised release; $52,997,442 restitution (as amended April 5, 2018)
Health care fraud (36 counts); false, fictitious and fraudulent claims (19 counts); false statements relating to health care (11 counts)
Trump commuted the remainder of the prison sentence of Melgen, a prominent South Floridaophthalmologist who had been sentenced to 17 years for a $73 million scheme to defraud the government of Medicare payments from 2008 and 2013; Melgen's practice grew "by giving elderly patients unnecessary eye injections and laser blasts on their retinas that some compared to torture."[199] Melgen's case was high-profile in part because of his association with Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ); Menendez was tried (but not convicted) on charges of accepting gifts from Melgen.[199][21]
Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin
Musa was arrested in a 1990 DEA "reverse sting" operation in which Musa offered $20,000 for a heroin transaction. He received a mandatory life sentence in 1991; because Musa had two relevant prior convictions, the sentencing court had no discretion. Musa's clemency petition was supported by Kenneth Wainstein, who prosecuted the case, and John Gleeson, a retired federal judge who represented Musa. Current prosecutors assigned to the matter opposed Musa's request for executive clemency. Trump's commutation released Musa after 30 years in federal prison.[200]
Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release; $83,847.55 restitution
Conspiracy to import marijuana; conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana; money laundering (four counts); conspiracy to engage in money laundering; conspiracy to engage in money laundering structuring; social security fraud (two counts); conspiracy to engage in social security fraud
Pelletier of Saint David, Maine, age 64 at the time of the commutation, ran a cross-border marijuana smuggling operation in Maine from 2003 to 2006. He was granted clemency that released him from prison after serving 13 years of a life sentence, and had previously petitioned for compassionate release. Pelletier has been paralyzed from the waist down after a farming accident at age 11, and uses a wheelchair. His petition for clemency was supported by the CAN-DO Foundation.[201]
Conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine (mixture); possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine (mixture)
30 years' imprisonment; five years' supervised release
Conspiracy to distribute controlled substance
Roach, of Rapid City, South Dakota, a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, age 56 at the time of the commutation, served 23 years of her 30-year sentence for methamphetamine dealing. Prior to the commutation, she had been scheduled for release in July 2023 due to good-time credit. Governor Kristi Noem and the prosecutor in her case supported the commutation, which remitted the rest of her prison sentence but kept the five-year term of supervised release intact.[202]
Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release; $10,000 fine
Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute in excess of 1,000 kilograms of marijuana; possession with intent to distribute in excess of 100 kilograms of marijuana (three counts)
26 months' imprisonment; three years' supervised release; $144,868 fine
Conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods; conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement and conspiracy to introduce misbranded food into interstate commerce
180 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release
Conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and/or possess with intent to distribute 100 or more marijuana plants and/or 100 or more kilograms of marijuana; manufacture, distribute, and/or possess with intent to distribute 100 or more marijuana plants and/or 100 or more kilograms of marijuana (two counts)
(1) 264 months' imprisonment; three years' supervised release; $215,350,459 restitution; $215,350,459 forfeiture; (2) 135 months' imprisonment (all but 24 months concurrent); three years' supervised release; $6,176,750 restitution; $6,176,150 forfeiture
(1) Conspiracy to commit wire fraud; monetary transactions from specified lawful activity; (2) Conspiracy to commit wire fraud; committing wire fraud while on pretrial release; transacting in criminal proceeds
Weinstein, age 45 at the time of the commutation, was a con man and former used car salesman from Lakewood, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to running a $200 million Ponzi scheme involving phony real estate investments and—while awaiting trial on those charges—running a $6.7 million scam claiming special access to the Facebook, Inc.initial public offering. Sentenced to 24 years in prison, he was represented in his request for clemency by Alan Dershowitz, who was also Trump's personal lawyer. New Jersey Attorney GeneralGurbir Grewal, who as an Assistant U.S. Attorney prosecuted Weinstein, called Trump's grant of clemency "one huckster commuting the sentence of another."[204] Weinstein hired Nick Muzin, a lobbyist and former aide to Republican Senators Ted Cruz and Tim Scott, to lobby Trump's chief of staff Mark Meadows for clemency.[4] Weinstein's commutation had been supported by New Jersey Democrat-turned-Republican, Congressman Jeff Van Drew.[205] On July 19, 2023, with four others who had helped him to hide his assets to avoid paying restitution, Weinstein was rearrested for conducting an estimated $35 million Ponzi scheme.[205][206]
835 years' imprisonment (as amended by order of July 16, 2009); three years' supervised release; $123,399,910 fine; $125,016,656 restitution; and a January 9, 2009 order of $57,213,591.46 forfeiture (as amended on June 7, 2011, and May 5, 2012)
Weiss, a former New York businessman, orchestrated a series of financial frauds that led to the collapse of the National Heritage Life Insurance Company. While out on bail, Weiss fled the country and became a fugitive for more than a year in Austria. He was sentenced to 835 years in 2000. Weiss's nephew advocated his commutation, and Weiss hired lobbyist Brett Tolman to persuade Trump to grant it. Prominent backers of Weiss's clemency bid included Edwin Meese, Seth Waxman, and Alan Dershowitz.[207]
Conspiring to manufacture in excess of 100 grams of methamphetamine; use of fire and explosive materials to destroy property used in interstate commerce and in activity affecting interstate commerce; destruction of property to prevent seizure; felon in possession of firearms (two counts); possession of ephedrine with intent to manufacture methamphetamine
In October 2019, New York enacted the TRUST Act, which was signed into law by Andrew Cuomo. Among other things, the act closed a double jeopardy provision of state law to allow state prosecutors to pursue charges for violations of New York law against individuals pardoned by the president for a violation of federal law. The New York legislation was aimed at Trump's use of the pardon power.[208]New York state attorney generalLetitia James, proposed the law after multiple former Trump associates were investigated in New York state. James' office has been investigating the finances of Trump and the Trump Organization.[208] Upon passage of the law, James said that "We have a responsibility to ensure that individuals who commit crimes under New York state law are held accountable for those crimes. This critical new law closes a gaping loophole that could have allowed any president to abuse the presidential pardon power by unfairly granting a pardon to a family member or close associate and possibly allow that individual to evade justice altogether."[208]
^ ab"Clemency Statistics". Office of the Pardon Attorney, United States Department of Justice. January 12, 2015. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved January 21, 2021.