Trump’s acts of pardon and generosity have enabled beneficiaries to avoid more than $1.3 billion in reparations and fines, as revealed by a Democrat’s analysis of court records from the House Judiciary Committee.
A report released on Tuesday examines the financial repercussions of Trump’s numerous pardons, which include recent awards given to political donors and associates, as well as to groups tied to the January 6 insurrection.
“During his second term, President Trump not only granted an unprecedented number of pardons but also leveraged his clemency powers to deprive victims and crime survivors of an estimated $1.3 billion, allowing offenders to profit from their crimes,” the report states.
Individuals found guilty of crimes are typically mandated to pay fines as part of their sentences, aimed at compensating victims and covering taxpayer costs.
The findings indicate that those convicted related to the January 6 events contributed only a fraction of the reparations owed for the Capitol attack, while the majority of the outstanding $1.34 billion in fees came from individuals convicted of white-collar offenses.
“By pardoning the insurrectionists from January 6th, President Trump has ensured that only 15% of the $3 million in compensation stipulated for the victims will be paid, allowing the remaining $2.6 million to be effectively erased by his pardon,” the report revealed.
“It’s not solely Trump’s dealings with violent extremists and militia members; the financial impact of his pardons extends significantly to major corporate fraudsters, wealthy tax evaders, and other members of the white-collar criminal community, ultimately at the expense of American taxpayers.”
The memo highlights that, according to the Department of Justice guidelines, individuals who petition the President for clemency are typically expected to have fulfilled all financial obligations to demonstrate that they have “accepted responsibility for their criminal actions and compensated the victim.”
Furthermore, Trump possesses the authority to issue conditional pardons that require recipients to settle all outstanding compensation before obtaining clemency.
One individual who has been ordered to pay restitution is Louis Snoot, convicted of assaulting Officer Michael Fanone from the Metropolitan Police Department. Snoot was mandated to compensate the MPD nearly $97,000 and to pay an additional $2,000 to the Capitol architect.
Paul Waltzak, a former nursing home executive who admitted guilt to multiple tax offenses, received a pardon after his mother contributed $1 million to attend Trump’s fundraising dinner at Mar-a-Lago. Waltzak had previously been required to pay almost $4.4 million in reparations.
Walczak was sentenced to 18 months in prison for misappropriating over $7.4 million from employee tax withholdings. The report suggests he will evade his compensation obligations, becoming an “unrepentant billionaire wage thief.”
Trump also pardoned Ross Ulbricht, the creator of the Silk Road dark web marketplace. Ulbricht had been sentenced to life imprisonment on money laundering charges related to drug trafficking via the site. His pardon exempts him from an additional $184 million in reparations.
The calculation of $1.3 billion also considers the pardon of Trevor Milton, founder of Nikola, who is under scrutiny for claims that prosecutors should return $676 million to defrauded shareholders, though this matter is still unresolved in the courts.
The report from Judicial Democrats notes that aside from unpaid restitution, the Justice Department is attempting to recover funds already disbursed to those who participated in the Capitol breach, while lawsuits initiated by the involved parties also seek financial redress.
“Adding insult to injury, the Department of Justice, under President Trump, has controversially argued that the federal government should reclaim the $437,000 already paid to victims and redirect it back to the convicted insurgents, leaving both victims and taxpayers to suffer the consequences of extremist violence and destruction,” the report asserts.
“Perhaps encouraged by the DOJ’s position, the primary instigators behind the January 6th uprising are now alleging that the government infringed upon their constitutional rights and have filed a $100 million lawsuit against it as reparations.”
Source: thehill.com