Bicameral Congressional Investigation Launched Over Multiple Trump Administration Pardons
WASHINGTON D.C. (KEYT) – On Thursday, a bicameral Congressional investigation was launched into 17 people who have received pardons or commutations from the Trump Administration under circumstances that warranted further investigation.
The oversight effort was launched by California Representatives Dave Min of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and Representative Raul Ruiz, as well as Senator Peter Welch of Vermont, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on the Constitution.
"Executive clemency has historically been understood as an act of grace exercised in the interest of justice and the public welfare, but it cannot become a tool for political favoritism, corruption, or pay-to-play dealings," read a joint statement from the members of Congress Thursday. "At a moment when Americans are already losing faith in our institutions, Congress has a responsibility to conduct oversight and ensure that no one, including a sitting President, is above accountability."
Article II, Section 2, Clause 1 of the U.S. Constitution states, "[The President of the United States]...shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment."
That power is limited to violations of federal law and can not be applied to state offenses or civil liability opened each of the letters issued to people who have been extended pardons or commutations by the Trump Administration Thursday.
While the power does not remove a conviction, it does absolve the involved person of all still-outstanding restitution payments and, according to the California Governor's Office, during President Trump's first term alone, clemency actions issued by the administration totaled almost $2 billion in terminated, court-ordered payments.
For comparison, President Biden granted 80 people pardons and those grantees had about $688,000 in financial penalties ordered by the courts erased.
The Congressional inquiry requested each of the involved people provide information about the process of their clemency requests, who was involved in orchestrating the actions, and if any payments or favors were involved in ensuring the pardons and commutations.
Each of the 17 letters ended with a demand for responses regarding the circumstances of each recipient's pardon or commutation by May 22 of this year.
Trevor Milton
Milton was convicted of securities fraud and wire fraud in December of 2023.
"Trevor Milton lied to investors again and again — on social media, on television, on podcasts, and in print," stated U.S. Attorney Damian Williams in December of 2023. "But today's sentence should be a warning to start-up founders and corporate executives everywhere — 'fake it till you make it' is not an excuse for fraud, and if you mislead your investors, you will pay a stiff price."
The court ordered the founder and former CEO of Nikola Corporation, an electric- and hydrogen-powered vehicle and energy company, to pay a $1 million fine, forfeit property in Utah, and serve 48 months in prison.
Federal prosecutors intended to seek $661 million in restitution for the investors Milton defrauded, but he was granted a full pardon before a restitution hearing.
"On March 27, 2025, President Trump granted you a presidential pardon, eliminating any obligation to pay court-ordered restitution to your victims," noted Thursday's letter. "Public reporting also indicates that you and your wife donated roughly $1,800,000 to President Trump's 2024 reelection campaign a
month before the election, which may have helped your bid for executive clemency."
Lawrence S. Duran
Duran pled guilty to organizing a $205 million Medicare fraud scheme through his Miami-based mental health care company, American Therapeutic Corporation in April of 2011.
The 49-year-old was sentenced to 50 years in prison and ordered to pay $87,533,863.46 in restitution by U.S District Judge James Lawrence King of the Southern District of Florida.
"For years, Mr. Duran stole millions of taxpayer dollars by defrauding Medicare and preying upon vulnerable citizens suffering from Alzheimer's disease, dementia and substance abuse," Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division said in September of 2011. "Instead of providing patients with the treatment they needed, Mr. Duran and his co-conspirators used them as props to fill their fraudulent mental health centers. As a further insult, Mr. Duran created an organization to lobby Congress for additional funds to support the mental health services his fraud scheme purported to provide. Today's sentence – the longest ever imposed in a Medicare Fraud Strike Force case - reflects the reprehensibility of the defendant’s conduct, and is a powerful warning sign to others inclined to cheat the Medicare program."
On May 28, 2025, President Trump commuted Duran's sentence.
Jason Galanis
Galanis pled guilty to multiple fraudulent schemes on January 31, 2020.
He admitted to managing schemes to manipulate the market and defraud investors in publicly-traded company Gerova Financial Group as well as defrauding a Native American tribal entity and was ordered to pay $84,817,513.43 in restitution, serve 189 months in prison, and forfeit $80,869,117.10 to the federal government.
"As he admitted today, Jason Galanis orchestrated two multimillion-dollar fraud schemes, and put together a team of co-conspirators to carry them out," stated U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman in January of 2020. "He and his codefendants engaged in market manipulation and the defrauding of shareholders, and they stole a large portion of the proceeds of tribal bonds that were intended to fund economic development projects. The overriding theme was victimizing others to enrich themselves. Now Jason Galanis awaits sentencing for his criminal greed."
On March 28, 2025, President Trump commuted Galanis' sentence.
Galanis petitioned the Court to return $2 million he had already paid in restitution following his commutation. The Court declined his request.
Changpeng Zhao
In November of 2023, Zhao pled guilty to failing to maintain an anti-money laundering program while working as the CEO of the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange Binance.com at the same time that the company agreed to pay $4 billion to resolve a Justice Department investigation.
"Binance turned a blind eye to its legal obligations in the pursuit of profit. Its willful failures allowed money to flow to terrorists, cybercriminals, and child abusers through its platform," explained Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen in November of 2023. "Today's historic penalties and monitorship to ensure compliance with U.S. law and regulations mark a milestone for the virtual currency industry. Any institution, wherever located, that wants to reap the benefits of the U.S. financial system must also play by the rules that keep us all safe from terrorists, foreign adversaries, and crime or face the consequences."
The Canadian national was ordered to pay a $50 million fine to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and to serve four months in prison.
On October 21, 2025, President Trump granted Zhao a presidential pardon.
"Public reporting also indicates that you were also represented by Ches McDowell, a lobbyist with Checkmate Government Relations, who met with President Trump about your request for a pardon – a request the President allegedly agreed to grant later that afternoon, officially issuing the pardon the following week," noted Thursday's letter to Zhao. "When questioned about your pardon during an interview on CBS News' 60 Minutes, President Trump stated that he had 'no idea who he is' in reference to you. The implications of this pardon take on greater light when viewed alongside reporting that you and Binance played an important role in brokering a massive investment in the Trump family's crypto business, surging the Trump Stablecoin to a $2.1 billion valuation."
Adriana Isabel Camberos
Adriana Camberos was convicted of multiple fraud offenses on October 25, 2024, and was ordered to pay $48,824,415.45 in restitution, serve one year in prison, and forfeit several multi-million dollar homes and luxury vehicles.
Andres Enrique Camberos
Andres Camberos was also convicted on October 25, 2024, in connection with the same scheme as his sister, was ordered to pay the same amount in restitution and serve three years of probation.
On January 15, 2026, President Trump granted him a presidential pardon.
Devon Archer
Archer was convicted alongside two other defendants, of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and other offenses related to a plan to defraud a Native American tribal entity through $60 million in fraudulent bond issuances on June 28, 2018.
"As a unanimous jury swiftly found, these defendants orchestrated a highly complex scheme to defraud a Native American community and multiple pension funds, all to corruptly bankroll their own personal and business interests," noted U.S. Attorney Robert Khuzami in June of 2018. "This Office remains steadfast in its commitment to prosecuting the most complex financial frauds and protecting the investing public."
Archer was ordered to pay $43,427,436 in restitution, serve one year in prison, and forfeit $15,700,513.
On March 25, 2025, President Trump granted Archer a presidential pardon.
Carlos R. Watson
Watson was convicted of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft after misleading investors about his company Ozy Media's financial status following an eight-week trial in July of 2024.
"Carlos Watson orchestrated a years-long, audacious scheme to defraud investors and lenders to his company, Ozy Media, out of tens of millions of dollars," detailed U.S. Attorney Breon Peace in December of 2024. "His incessant and deliberate lies demonstrated not only a brazen disregard for the rule of law, but also a contempt for the values of honesty and fairness that should underlie American entrepreneurship. On far too many occasions, Watson chose deceit over candor, grasping for the illusion of business success and personal acclaim at any cost. Today’s sentence should serve as a warning to those who would engage in fraud that justice will be swift and certain."
Watson was ordered to pay $36,769,153.97 in restitution, serve just short of ten years in prison, and forfeit $60 million to the federal government.
On March 28, 2026, President Trump commuted Watson's sentence.
"Public reporting also indicates that you hired the New York law firm Aidala, Bertuna & Kamins to help you seek assistance from individuals in Donald Trump’s orbit, including Steve Bannon," stated Thursday's letter to Watson. "This reporting noted that your advocates recognized that their best chance of success required bypassing the Department of Justice's Office of the Pardon Attorney and appealing directly to the White House – a strategy that ultimately worked in your favor."
Marian I. Morgan
On September 29, 2011, Morgan was convicted of several offenses related to a Ponzi scheme that misappropriated about $10 million in investor funds through a company managed by her and her husband, Morgan European Holdings.
She was sentenced to 33 years and nine months in federal prison and ordered to pay $19,958,995 in restitution.
Her husband was sentenced to ten years and one month for his role in the scheme on November 28, 2011.
On May 28, 2025, President Trump commuted her sentence.
Todd Chrisley
Chrisley, a reality television star, was convicted of bank fraud and tax evasion alongside his wife, Julie, and their accountant, Peter Tarantino, in connection with a scheme to defraud community banks out of $30 million and avoid paying federal taxes.
"As today's outcome shows, when you lie, cheat and steal, justice is blind as to your fame, your fortune, and your position," said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. "In the end, when driven by greed, the verdict of guilty on all counts for these three defendants proves once again that financial crimes do not pay."
Chrisley was ordered to pay $17,270,741.57 in restitution and serve 144 months in prison.
On May 28, 2025, President Trump issued Todd Chrisley a presidential pardon.
"Public reporting also indicates that Brett Tolman, a frequent 'go-to' for pardon assistance, aided your bid for executive clemency," noted Thursday's letter to Todd Chrisley. "Your daughter, Savannah Chrisley, previously supported President Trump—delivering a speech at the 2024 Republican National Convention—which may have also helped your case. During the call notifying your daughter of the clemency decision, President Trump reportedly upgraded what was initially a commutation to a full pardon. One month later, Lara Trump aired an interview with your daughter following the grant of clemency."
Imaad Shah Zuberi
Zuberi, a venture capitalist and political fundraiser, pled guilty to violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act, tax evasion, and making illegal campaign contributions in November of 2019 and was convicted of one count of obstruction of justice in June of 2020.
"Mr. Zuberi flouted federal laws that restrict foreign influences upon our government and prohibit injecting foreign money into our political campaigns. He enriched himself by defrauding his clients and evading the payment of taxes," explained Acting U.S. Attorney Tracy L. Wilkison for the Central District of California in February of 2021. "Today's sentence, which also accounts for Mr. Zuberi's attempt to obstruct an investigation into his felonious conduct, underscores the importance of our ongoing efforts to maintain transparency in U.S. elections and policy-making processes."
He was sentenced to 144 months in prison, ordered to pay a criminal fine of $1.75 million, and required to pay $15,705,080 in restitution for creating fake records to conceal his work as an agent for a foreign nation while lobbying high-level federal officials and obstructing a federal investigation into the origin of donations to a presidential inauguration committee.
"Zuberi turned acting as an unregistered foreign agent into a business enterprise," said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers in February of 2021. "He used foreign money to fund illegal campaign contributions that bought him political influence, and used that influence to lobby U.S. officials for policy changes on behalf of numerous foreign principals. He not only concealed his lucrative agreements with those foreign principals, but also made false statements about them in a FARA [Foreign Agents Registration Act] filing. After learning he was under investigation, Zuberi doubled down on his criminal conduct, obstructing justice by creating false records, destroying evidence, and attempting to purchase witnesses’ silence. This sentence should deter others who would seek to corrupt our political processes and compromise our institutions in exchange for foreign cash."
Thursday's letter noted that Zuberi was represented by David Warrigton, President Trump's current White House Counsel, during his trial.
On May 28, 2025, President Trump commuted his sentence.
David Gentile
Gentile, the founder and CEO of GPB Capital, was convicted of securities fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit securities fraud and wire fraud involving $1.6 billion is assets from over 10,000 investors in August of 2024.
"The defendants built GPB Capital on a foundation of lies," argued United States Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. "They raised approximately $1.6 billion from individual investors based on false promises of generating investment returns from the profits of portfolio companies, all while using investor capital to pay distributions and create a false appearance of success. The sentences imposed today are well deserved and should serve as a warning to would-be fraudsters that seeking to get rich by taking advantage of investors gets you only a one-way ticket to jail. My Office is committed to protecting the investing public and the integrity of the financial markets."
He was sentenced to seven years in prison and ordered to pay $15,500,000 in restitution.
On November 26, 2025, President Trump commuted his sentence in the first two weeks of his prison term.
Joseph Lewis
Lewis pled guilty to securities fraud through insider trading on January 24, 2024.
"Today's guilty pleas once again confirm — as I said in announcing the charges against Joseph Lewis just six months ago – the law applies to everyone, no matter who you are or how much wealth you have," stated U.S. Attorney Damian Williams in January of 2024. "Billionaire Lewis abused inside information he gained through his access to corporate boardrooms to tip off his friends, employees, and romantic interests. Now, he will pay the price with a federal conviction, the prospect of time in prison, and the largest financial penalty for insider trading in a decade."
The British national was ordered to serve three years of probation, repay a $5 million fine, and pay $400,000 in restitution.
On November 12, 2025, President Trump granted Lewis a presidential pardon.
Joseph Schwartz
Schwartz, pled guilty to two tax fraud-related offenses after he failed to pay over $38 million in employment taxes and also did not file an annual Form 5500 report with the Department of Labor.
"Schwartz ran a vast, multistate nursing home empire, but cheated taxpayers out of more than $38 million so he could line his own pockets," explained U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger in November of 2024. "Having admitted his crime, he will now be held accountable. My office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to prosecute those who willfully participate in tax fraud schemes."
He was ordered to pay $5 million in restitution, serve 36 months in prison, and pay a $100,000 fine.
On November 14, 2025, President Trump granted Schwartz a presidential pardon after he had served three months of his sentence.
"Public reporting also indicates that you first hired Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl to lobby on your behalf for executive clemency, spending $960,000," detailed Thursday's letter to Schwartz. "However, reportedly unhappy with Burman and Wohl’s efforts, you hired Joshua Nass, registered lobbyist from Merkava Strategies Corporation, to '[advocate for] executive clemency and post-conviction relief, including [a] federal presidential pardon'. After successfully lobbying for your pardon request, Nash was subsequently arrested on March 13, 2026, over extortion charges allegedly against you and your son to pay him $500,000."
Paul Walczak
Walczak, a former nursing home executive, pled guilty to several tax-related violations for not paying employment taxes and not filing his individual income tax returns on November 15, 2024.
He was sentenced to 18 months in prison, two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $4,381,265.75 in restitution.
"From 2016 through 2019, Walczak withheld $7,432,223.80 of taxes from his employees' paychecks, but did not pay those taxes over to the IRS," explained the Justice Department in April of 2025. "While Walczak was withholding taxes from the pay of his employees under the pretext of paying these funds to the IRS, he used over $1 million from his businesses’ bank accounts to purchase a yacht, transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars to his personal bank accounts, and used the business accounts for personal purchases at retailers such as Bergdorf Goodman, Cartier, and Saks. During this same time, he also did not pay $3,480,111 of his business’s portion of his employees' Social Security and Medicare taxes. By 2019, the IRS had assessed millions of dollars in civil penalties against Walczak. Beginning with the 2018 tax year, Walczak also stopped filing personal income tax returns despite that he was still receiving income including a $360,000 salary from PHPES [Palm Health Partners Employment Services] and $450,000 in transfers from his business bank accounts."
"In total, Walczak caused a tax loss to the IRS of $10,912,334.80," added the Department of Justice in April of 2025.
On April 23, 2025, President Trump issued Walczak a presidential pardon.
"Public reporting also indicates that your mother, Elizabeth Fago, donated one million dollars through an exclusive fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago, several weeks prior to President Trump granting your pardon," stated Thursday's letter to Walczak. "This donation had been preceded by your mother hosting at least three fundraisers for President Trump's campaign."
Michele Fiore
Fiore, a former Las Vegas City Councilmemember, was convicted on October 4, 2024, of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and six counts of wire fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud charitable donors by claiming she was raising money for police officers who were killed in the line of duty.
"The evidence at trial demonstrated that Fiore promised donors that '100% of the contributions' would be used towards the construction of memorials for the fallen officers," detailed the U.S. Department of Justice in October of 2024. "However, Fiore did not use any of the more than $70,000 in charitable donations she raised for the memorials."
On April 23, 2025, President Trump issued her a presidential pardon.
The pardon was issued before Fiore's scheduled sentencing hearing.
"The timing of this pardon, issued prior to your sentencing hearing, likely deprived the Court of the opportunity to order you to pay restitution or fines to your victims," noted Thursday's letter to Fiore.
Timothy J. Leiweke
Leiweke, the co-Founder and CEO of live entertainment company Oak View Group, was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 9, 2025, for conspiring to rig the bidding process for an arena at a public university in Texas.
"As outlined in the indictment, the Defendant rigged a bidding process to benefit his own company and deprived a public university and taxpayers of the benefits of competitive bidding," stated Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division in July of 2025. "The Antitrust Division and its law enforcement partners will continue to hold executives who cheat to avoid competition accountable."
The charge carried a potential maximum sentence of ten years in prison and a $1 million fine noted Thursday's letter to Leiweke.
"Unfair business practices, like those employed here, make it very difficult for the American people to pursue prosperity like our founders intended," explained U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas in July of 2025. "In the Western District of Texas, we're proud to work with our colleagues in the Antitrust Division on these types of cases, and we will do all we can to ensure those who engage in the type of conduct described in this case are held to account."
On December 2, 2025, President Trump granted Leiweke a presidential pardon.
"Public reporting also indicates that you were represented by former U.S. Representative Trey Gowdy, who successfully lobbied on your behalf to President Trump for a pardon over a round of golf," detailed Thursday's letter to Leiweke.
