Donald Trump ran on a platform of stopping crime. He has now granted pardons or commutations to 14 convicted fraudsters whose schemes defrauded investors, Medicare, banks, Native American tribes, charity donors, and their own employees of over a billion dollars combined. A House Judiciary Committee Democrats analysis calculated that Trump's clemency decisions wiped out $1.3 billion in court-ordered restitution that victims and taxpayers were owed.
The Full Roster
The pardons span Trump's first year back in office. Here is who he freed, and what they did.
Jason Galanis defrauded the Oglala Sioux Nation and other clients of more than $200 million through a tribal bond scheme and securities fraud. Trump commuted his sentence.
Lawrence Duran ran a Medicare fraud operation that billed $205 million in false claims and collected roughly $87 million before it collapsed. He received a commutation to time served, with no further fines or restitution.
Carlos Watson, founder of Ozy Media, was convicted of securities fraud and wire fraud after fabricating deals and having an executive impersonate a YouTube official to defraud investors of $60 million. Trump commuted his sentence to time served.
Todd and Julie Chrisley, stars of "Chrisley Knows Best," submitted false financial statements to pocket more than $30 million in personal loans. Trump granted them full pardons.
Devon Archer, a former business associate of Hunter Biden, was convicted of defrauding a Native American tribe of $60 million in a tribal bond scheme. Trump issued a full pardon.
Trevor Milton, founder of the electric vehicle startup Nikola, was convicted of defrauding investors of more than $20 million through false claims about the company's technology. Pardoned.
Joseph Schwartz, a nursing home chain executive, defrauded the IRS of nearly $39 million in unpaid payroll taxes. Pardoned in November 2025.
Paul Walczak withheld more than $10 million from his employees' paychecks instead of remitting it to the IRS. His pardon followed his mother's attendance at a $1 million-per-person fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago.
Adriana Camberos was convicted in a multimillion-dollar grocery fraud scheme and sentenced to over a year in prison with millions in restitution obligations. Pardoned in January 2026.
George Santos, the congressman who invented nearly every fact about his own biography, was convicted on federal fraud counts including wire fraud, identity theft, and campaign finance violations. Trump commuted his sentence after he had served less than three months.
Michele Fiore, a former Las Vegas city councilwoman, was convicted of seven wire fraud counts for stealing funds from a charity meant to cover a murder victim's funeral expenses. Pardoned.
Brian Kelsey, a former Republican Tennessee state senator, pleaded guilty to an illegal campaign finance scheme. Pardoned two weeks into a 21-month sentence.
Scott Jenkins, former sheriff of Culpeper County, Virginia, was convicted of accepting more than $75,000 in bribes in exchange for handing out deputy badges. He had been sentenced to ten years. Pardoned.
Pay-to-Play Questions
A formal bicameral congressional investigation launched in May 2026 after reporting connected several pardon recipients to campaign contributions, Mar-a-Lago memberships, or personal ties to Trump's political circle.
Paul Walczak's case is the most explicit: his pardon came after his mother purchased a ticket to a Mar-a-Lago fundraiser priced at $1 million per person.
"Trump's corrupt pardon spree cheated crime victims of $1.3 billion." — House Judiciary Committee Democrats, May 2026
Governor Gavin Newsom's office has been tracking the pardons publicly, releasing a "Trump Criminals" tracker now documenting the full scope of clemency grants. Newsom's office calculates the total wipeout of victim repayment and taxpayer recovery at close to $2 billion when Medicare and tax fraud recovery figures are included.
The Verdict
Trump said he would stop crime. The pardon record shows an apparatus that wipes court-ordered debt, cuts sentences to time served, and frees wealthy white-collar criminals while working-class Americans owe taxes, rent, and medical bills with no presidential intervention coming.
The 14 people on this list defrauded investors, Medicare, banks, tribes, campaign donors, and their own employees. They received pardons. Their victims received nothing.
Sources
- California Governor's Office: Trump Pardons Wipe Nearly $2 Billion in Victim Repayment
- CBS News: Trump's Pardons This Term Include These Convicted Fraudsters
- CBS News: Trump's Pardons Cost Victims and Taxpayers $1.3 Billion, House Judiciary Review
- House Judiciary Democrats: Trump's Corrupt Pardon Spree Cheated Crime Victims of $1.3 Billion
- NBC News: Trump's Pardons Forgive Financial Crimes Worth Hundreds of Millions
- DOJ: Clemency Grants by President Donald J. Trump (2025-Present)
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