Who did Trump pardon during his first presidential term?

https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/politics/who-did-trump-pardon-during-first-presidential-term/67-abd8a81a-534e-4b4c-b912-f7e98d22d9c4

I want to thank Ten Grain for the link.  His website link will be posted below.  

With the controversial pardon of his son from Biden, here’s a look back at who Trump pardoned at the end of his first term.

Credit: AP
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in Johnstown, Pa
 
 1:48 PM EST December 2, 2024

Weeks before leaving office, President Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter Biden on federal felony gun and tax convictions in two cases. 

The Democratic president previously said he wouldn’t pardon his son or commute his sentence. The pardon came weeks before Hunter Biden was set to receive punishment after his trial conviction in the gun case and guilty plea on tax charges. 

 

The pardon also comes less than two months before President-elect Donald Trump is set to return to the White House for a second term. Before leaving office for the first time in 2020, Trump issued close to 200 pardons and commutations in his final days as president. 

With the controversial pardon of his son from Biden, here’s a look back at who Trump pardoned at the end of his first term. 

RELATED: Read: All 143 Trump pardons, commutations announced on his final day as president

RELATED: A look at the 29 people President Donald Trump pardoned or gave commutations to

Former Rep. Duncan Hunter of California

Hunter was sentenced to 11 months in prison after pleading guilty to stealing campaign funds and spending the money on everything from outings with friends to his daughter’s birthday party.

Former Rep. Chris Collins of New York

Collins, the first member of Congress to endorse Trump to be president, was sentenced to two years and two months in federal prison after admitting he helped his son and others dodge $800,000 in stock market losses when he learned that a drug trial by a small pharmaceutical company had failed.

Rep. Phil Lyman of Utah 

Utah state Rep. Phil Lyman was serving as a county commissioner in 2014 when he led a protest of about 50 ATV riders in a canyon home to Native American cliff dwellings that officials closed to motorized traffic.

Government contractors

Four former government contractors were pardoned after being convicted in a 2007 massacre in Baghdad that left more than a dozen Iraqi civilians dead and caused an international uproar over the use of private security guards in a war zone.

Supporters of Nicholas Slatten, Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Dustin Heard, the former contractors at Blackwater Worldwide, had lobbied for pardons, arguing that the men had been excessively punished in an investigation and prosecution they said was tainted by problems and withheld exculpatory evidence. All four were serving lengthy prison sentences.

 

Russia investigation

Trump also announced pardons for allies ensnared in the Russia investigation. One was for George Papadopoulos, his 2016 campaign adviser whose conversation unwittingly helped trigger the Russia investigation that shadowed Trump’s presidency for nearly two years. He also pardoned Alex van der Zwaan, a Dutch lawyer who was sentenced to 30 days in prison for lying to investigators during special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.

Van der Zwaan and Papadopoulos are the third and fourth Russia investigation defendants granted clemency. By pardoning them, Trump once again took aim at Mueller’s probe and pushed a broader effort to undo the results of the investigation that yielded criminal charges against a half-dozen associates.

Michael Flynn, former national security adviser

Trump pardoned former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who had twice pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, and months earlier commuted the sentence of another associate, Roger Stone, days before he was to report to prison.

Former U.S. Border Patrol agents

Two former U.S. Border Patrol agents were also pardoned, Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, convicted of shooting and wounding a Mexican drug smuggler near El Paso, Texas, in 2005.

Dentist, convicted drug criminals, moonshiner

Others on the list included a Pittsburgh dentist who pleaded guilty to health care fraud, two women convicted of drug crimes, and Alfred Lee Crum who pleaded guilty in 1952 when he was 19 to helping his wife’s uncle illegally distill moonshine.

Crum served three years of probation and paid a $250 fine. The White House said Crum has maintained a clean record and a strong marriage for nearly 70 years, attended the same church for 60 years, raised four children and regularly participated in charity fundraising events.

 

Paul Manafort

Manafort was Trump’s former campaign chairman and was among the first people to be charged in Mueller’s investigation, which examined possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia in the 2016 election campaign. He was released from a low-security federal prison in May 2020 to serve his sentence on home confinement due to concerns about the coronavirus. Prior to his release, he had been jailed since June 2018 and was serving more than seven years in prison following his conviction.

Manafort was prosecuted in two federal courts and was convicted by a jury in federal court in Virginia in 2018 and later pleaded guilty in Washington. He was sentenced March 2019 and was immediately hit with state charges in New York after prosecutors accused him of giving false information on a mortgage loan application. A New York judge threw out state mortgage fraud charges, ruling that the criminal case was too similar to one that already landed Manafort in prison. Prosecutors appealed that ruling last month.

Roger Stone

Stone has been a longtime friend and ally of Trump. He was also convicted in Mueller’s investigation for lying to Congress, witness tampering and obstructing the House investigation into whether Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia to win the 2016 election.

Trump commuted his sentence just days before he was scheduled to report to federal prison. Then, he issued Stone a full pardon.

Pardoning Manafort and Stone underscores the president-elect’s lingering rage over Mueller’s investigation and is part of a continuing effort by Trump to rewrite the narrative of a probe that shadowed his presidency for two years.

Charles Kushner

Kushner is the father of Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and a wealthy real estate executive who pleaded guilty years ago to tax evasion and making illegal campaign donations. The two knew each other from real estate circles and their children were married in 2009. Trump issued him a full pardon.

 

Kushner, who is from New Jersey, pleaded guilty to 18 counts that also included witness tampering and was sentenced in 2005 to two years in prison, but emerged to resume his career in real estate and his company Kushner Cos. purchased the famed Watchtower complex along the Brooklyn Bridge, the former headquarters for the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Kushner was also a major Democratic donor, and agreed to pay $508, 900 to the Federal Election Commission after he violated contribution regulations by failing to obtain an OK from partners to whom more than $500,000 in campaign contributions were attributed. But, he donated more than $100,000 to Trump’s 2015 campaign.

Margaret Hunter

Hunter is the wife of former U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter, who Trump pardoned. Along with her husband, she was also convicted of conspiracy to misuse campaign funds and was sentenced to three years of probation. Her husband, a Southern California Republican, had pleaded guilty to stealing about $150,000 from his campaign funds to pay for a lavish lifestyle, from vacations to outings with friends, private school tuition and his daughter’s birthday party.

John Tate and Jesse Benton

The men were top staffers on Ron Paul’s 2012 presidential campaign and convicted in 2016 of causing false records and campaign expenditure reports to be filed to the Federal Election Commission. Prosecutors said Tate, Benton and a third campaign official tried to hide $73,000 in payments to former Iowa Sen. Kent Sorenson for his endorsement of Paul. They argue that they broke no laws when they concealed the payments through a third-party campaign vendor.

The White House said the pardons were supported by a former chairman of the Federal Election Commission and by Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky who is also the son of Ron Paul.

Stephanie Mohr

 

The former Maryland police officer was convicted in 2001 of violating a homeless man’s civil rights by letting her police dog attack him even though he had surrendered. Prosecutors said after the man had surrendered, Mohr released her police dog and the canine bit into the man’s leg, requiring ten stitches. Mohr, the first canine handler in the Prince George’s County police force, served 10 years in prison.

She was convicted of violating the man’s civil rights under the color of authority; another officer who faced trial in the case was acquitted.

Gary Brugman

The former U.S. Border Patrol agent was convicted of striking and violating the civil rights of a man who had crossed the U.S. border illegally. Court records said Brugman and other Border Patrol officers had stopped a group of people who crossed the border illegally and during the encounter, he struck one of the men with his foot, pushing him to the ground and then hit the man with his hands.

The man later filed a complaint when he was in custody at a Border Patrol station. Brugman had worked as a Border Patrol agent for four years in Eagle Pass, Texas.

He served 27 months in prison. The White House said his pardon was supported by several Republican members of Congress and conservative media personalities, including Laura Ingraham, Sara Carter, Glenn Beck and Lou Dobbs, along with former New York City Police Commissioner Bernie Kerik, who also was convicted of a federal crime and pardoned by Trump.

Mary McCarty

McCarty, a former county commissioner in Palm Beach County, Florida, was issued a full pardon. She was convicted of a federal criminal charge for honest services fraud.

When she was convicted, prosecutors said she had misused her position as a county commissioner to “personally enrich herself, her husband, and their associates through a series of municipal bond transactions” and by receiving gifts and gratuities from people doing business with the Board of County Commissioners.

The White House said her pardon was supported by former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi and Christopher Ruddy, the CEO of Newsmax Media.

Mark Siljander

The former Southwest Michigan congressman was convicted of obstructing justice and failing to register as a foreign agent. He was sentenced to serve more than a year in prison after being accused of accepting stolen funds on behalf of a Missouri charity with alleged terrorism ties.

Prosecutors said an associate had conspired to hire Siljander to lobby for the charity’s removal from a government list of charities suspected of funding international terrorism. The charity closed in October 2004 after being designated a global terrorist organization by the U.S. government

Christopher II X, formerly Christopher Anthony Bryant

The prominent community leader in Louisville, Kentucky, was issued a full pardon for his conviction on federal drug charges. He was also issued a pardon by Kentucky’s governor for state offenses in 2019.

The White House said he has been a “powerful example of the possibility of redemption,” pointing to his struggle to overcome drug addiction and his work with nonprofit and community groups in Kentucky.

Robert Coughlin

Coughlin worked in the Justice Department and was convicted of a conflict of interest charge for his role in the influence peddling scandal surrounding former lobbyist Jack Abramoff. He admitted in court in 2009 that he provided assistance to Abramoff’s lobbying team and its clients while accepting free meals and drinks and tickets to sporting events and concerts from Abramoff lobbying partner Kevin Ring. He was issued a full pardon.

Joseph Occhipinti

Occhipinti was an agent with the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service when he was convicted in 1991 of conspiracy to violate civil rights under the color of law and making false statements. Authorities charged that he illegally detained and searched Hispanic store owners in New York City and then made false statements to cover-up those activities. His sentence was commuted after seven months in prison by President George H.W. Bush. The White House said he had earned 76 commendations during his career, including from three attorneys general.

Rickey Kanter

Kanter founded a company known as Dr. Comfort, selling special shoes and inserts for diabetics, and was convicted of mail fraud tied to illegal Medicare reimbursements. He was sentenced to serve a year and a day in federal prison. He had also paid a multimillion-dollar civil fine. Federal prosecutors said his diabetic shoe inserts did not meet Medicare requirements, but they were sold to Medicare beneficiaries and the company was reimbursed by the federal government.

Daniela Gozes-Wagner

The Houston woman was convicted in a $50 million health care fraud scheme in 2017. Federal prosecutors said she conspired with others to falsely bill Medicare and Medicaid for millions of dollars’ worth of medical tests that were either unnecessary or just never performed. She received a sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment and was ordered to pay $15.2 million in restitution. The president commuted her sentence; the White House said the commutation was supported by several former U.S. attorneys general.

Mark Shapiro and Irving Stitsky

Trump commuted Shapiro and Stitsky’s sentences after they were convicted in federal court in New York of defrauding more than 250 people in a $23 million real estate scam. Both men were convicted and sentenced to serve 85 years in federal prison. Prosecutors said Stitsky and Shapiro also diverted millions of dollars of investor funds for their own benefit.

The White House said the men had been offered plea deals to serve no more than nine years but had turned them down and chose instead to go to trial. A White House news release praised the men as “model prisoners,” who had earned support and praise from other inmates.

Topeka Sam

Sam, now a criminal justice advocate who helped work on a bipartisan criminal justice overhaul that Trump often touts, was convicted of conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine and served three years of a more than 10-year prison sentence. She was in the White House when Trump signed the overhaul measure, known as the First Step Act, into law. Sam posted a video on Twitter shortly after the pardon was announced, thanking Trump, and saying, “this is all so surreal.”

Her case had been championed by other criminal justice reform advocates like Alice Marie Johnson, whose life sentence Trump commuted in 2018 at the urging of reality TV star Kim Kardashian West.

James Batmasian

Batmasian is a real-estate investor and runs property management companies in South Florida. He pleaded guilty to cheating the federal government out of more than $250,000 by failing to pay federal taxes for employees at his company. He was an influential developer and at the time was one of the largest landowners in Boca Raton, Florida. He served an eight-month prison sentence.

Cesar Lozada

Lozada was convicted of conspiring to distribute marijuana and served a 14-month prison sentence. He was granted a full pardon. The White House said Lozada is an immigrant from Cuba who started a pool cleaning business near Miami, Florida, and employs dozens of people.

Joseph Martin Stephens

Stephens pleaded guilty in 2008 to being a felon in possession a firearm, a federal offense. He has previously been convicted of a felony offense in 1991, when he was 19 years old, the White House said. He served 18 months in prison and was issued a full pardon.

Andrew Barron Worden

Wordon, who runs an investment firm and a solar energy company, was convicted of wire fraud in 1998. The White House said he “made mistakes in running an investment firm he founded.” Records from the Securities and Exchange Commission show Worden was accused of defrauding several brokerage firms out of more than $130,000. He was issued a full pardon. The White House said Worden had begun to repay his victims before criminal charges were filed.

John Boultbee, Peter Atkinson

The two men were senior executives at Hollinger International and associates of media tycoon Conrad Black. Boultbee and Atkinson were found guilty of three counts of mail fraud and each served a year in prison.

Black was a co-defendant in the case and was also convicted; Trump previously pardoned him.

Rebekah Charleston

Charleston was arrested in 2006 for tax evasion, and the White House said she is a victim of sex trafficking who was forced into prostitution. Officials said she volunteers to help sex trafficking victims and her pardon was also supported by a law enforcement agent who arrested her.

William J. Plemons Jr. 

The White House said Plemons was convicted of various financial crimes in the late 1990s and early 2000s and served 27 months in federal prison. Officials said he served in the Air Force and supported several charitable organizations.

James Kassouf

Kassouf pleaded guilty in 1989 to a federal tax offense. The White House said that since his convicted, he has been devoted to his church, fire department and works with charitable organizations.

Christopher Wade

The White House said Wade was convicted of multiple cyber-related offenses and has “shown remorse and sought to make his community a safer place.” He was issued a full pardon.

Russell Plaisance

Trump granted a posthumous pardon for Plaisance, who was convicted of conspiracy to important cocaine from a 1987 case, which the White House said stemmed from “one conversation in which he participated.” A White House news release cited the judge who presided over his sentencing saying that the actions were inconsistent with Plaisance’s life history and character. Officials said he has built a tugboat business that has seven vessels and employs 50 people. The White House said the prosecutors involved in his case did not object to the pardon.

Todd Boulanger

President Trump granted a full pardon to Todd Boulanger, according to the White House. In 2008, Mr. Boulanger pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit honest services fraud. Boulanger is a veteran of the United States Army Reserves and was honorably discharged. He has also received an award from the City of the District of Columbia for heroism for stopping and apprehending an individual who assaulted an elderly woman with a deadly weapon on Capitol Hill.

Abel Holtz 

President Trump granted a full pardon to Abel Holtz, the White House said. In 2020, Holtz was 86 years old. In 1995, he pled guilty to one count of impeding a grand jury investigation and was sentenced to 45 days in prison. Holtz has “devoted extensive time and resources to supporting charitable causes in South Florida, including substantial donations to the City of Miami Beach,” the White House said.

Rep. Rick Renzi of Arizona 

President Trump granted a full pardon to Representative Rick Renzi of Arizona, the White House said. In 2013, Renzi was convicted of extortion, bribery, insurance fraud, money laundering, and racketeering. He was sentenced to 2 years in Federal prison, 2 years of supervised release, and paid a $25,000 fine. Before his conviction, Mr. Renzi served three terms in the House of Representatives.

Kenneth Kurson 

President Trump granted a full pardon to Kenneth Kurson. Prosecutors have charged Mr. Kurson with cyberstalking related to his divorce from his ex-wife in 2015. In a powerful letter to the prosecutors, Mr. Kurson’s ex-wife wrote on his behalf that she never wanted this investigation or arrest and, “repeatedly asked for the FBI to drop it… I hired a lawyer to protect me from being forced into yet another round of questioning. My disgust with this arrest and the subsequent articles is bottomless…” This investigation only began because Mr. Kurson was nominated for a role within the Trump Administration, the White House said.

Casey Urlacher

President Trump granted a full pardon to Casey Urlacher, the White House said. Urlacher has been charged with conspiracy to engage in illegal gambling.

Carl Andrews Boggs 

President Trump granted a full pardon to Carl Andrews Boggs, the White House said. In 2013, Mr. Boggs pled guilty to two counts of conspiracy.

Jaime A. Davidson

President Trump commuted the sentence of Jaime A. Davidson, the White House said. In 1993, Mr. Davidson was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in relation to the murder of an undercover officer. Although Mr. Davidson has been incarcerated for nearly 29 years, the admitted shooter has already been released from prison, the White House said.

James E. Johnson, Jr.

President Trump granted a full pardon to James E. Johnson, Jr., the White House said. In 2008, Johnson pled guilty to charges related to migratory birds. Johnson received 1 year probation, was barred from hunting during that period, and a $7,500 fine was imposed.

Tommaso Buti

President Trump granted a full pardon to Tommaso Buti, an Italian citizen and businessman, the White House said. More than 20 years ago, Mr. Buti was charged with financial fraud involving a chain of restaurants. He has not, however, been convicted in the United States, according to the administration.

Bill K. Kapri, aka Kodak Black

President Trump granted a commutation to Bill Kapri, more commonly known as Kodak Black. Kodak Black is a prominent artist and community leader, according to the White House. Kodak Black was sentenced to 46 months in prison for making a false statement on a Federal document.

Jawad A. Musa

President Trump commuted the sentence of Jawad A. Musa. In 1991, Musa was sentenced to life imprisonment for a non-violent, drug-related offense. Mr. Musa’s sentencing judge and the prosecutor on the case have both requested clemency on his behalf. He was 56 years old in 2020.

Adriana Shayota 

President Trump commuted the sentence of Adriana Shayota. She was convicted of conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods, commit copyright infringement, and introduce misbranded food into interstate commerce.

Glen Moss 

President Trump granted a full pardon to Glen Moss. After pleading guilty in 1998, Mr. Moss has been a vital member of his community, the White House said.

Anthony Levandowski

President Trump granted a full pardon to Anthony Levandowski. Levandowski pled guilty to a single criminal count arising from civil litigation.

Aviem Sella

President Trump granted a full pardon to Aviem Sella, who was indicted in 1986 for espionage in relation to the Jonathan Pollard case.

Michael Liberty

President Trump granted a full pardon to Michael Liberty. In 2016 Liberty was convicted for campaign finance violations and later was indicted for related offenses.

Greg Reyes 

President Trump granted a full pardon to Greg Reyes. Reyes was the former CEO of Brocade Communications. Mr. Reyes was convicted of securities fraud. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, however, threw out his convictions, finding prosecutorial misconduct. He was later retried, convicted, and sentenced to 18 months in Federal prison.

Ferrell Damon Scott

President Trump commuted the sentence of Ferrell Damon Scott. Scott served nearly 9 years of a life imprisonment sentence for possession with intent to distribute marijuana.

Jerry Donnell Walden

President Trump commuted the sentence of Jerry Donnell Walden. Walden has served 23 years of a 40-year prison sentence.

Jeffrey Alan Conway 

President Trump granted a full pardon to Jeffrey Alan Conway. 

Benedict Olberding

President Trump granted a full pardon to Benedict Olberding, who was convicted on one count of bank fraud.

Syrita Steib-Martin 

President Trump granted a full pardon to Syrita Steib-Martin. Steib-Martin was convicted at the age of 19 and sentenced to 10 years in prison and nearly $2 million in restitution for the use of fire to commit a felony. After her release from prison, she became an advocate for criminal justice reform and founded Operation Restoration.

Michael Ashley

President Trump commuted the sentence of Michael Ashley. Ashley was convicted and sentenced to 3 years in prison for bank fraud.

Lou Hobbs

President Trump commuted the sentence of Lou Hobbs. Hobbs had served 24 years of his life sentence in 2020.

Matthew Antoine Canady

President Trump commuted the sentence of Matthew Antoine Canady.

Mario Claiborne

President Trump commuted the sentence of Mario Claiborne. Claiborne was serving life imprisonment and had already served more than 28 years in prison.

Rodney Nakia Gibson

President Trump commuted the sentence of Rodney Nakia Gibson. In 2009, Mr. Gibson was convicted of trafficking drugs. Mr. Gibson was a first-time, non-violent offender who has been a “model inmate” for more than 11 years in custody.

Tom Leroy Whitehurst

President Trump commuted the sentence of Tom Leroy Whitehurst from life to 30 years.  Mr. Whitehurst led a conspiracy to manufacture at least 16.7 kilograms of methamphetamine and possessed numerous firearms during the course of the conspiracy.

Monstsho Eugene Vernon 

President Trump commuted the sentence of Monstsho Eugene Vernon. Mr. Vernon served over 19 years in prison for committing a string of armed bank robberies in Greenville, South Carolina.

Luis Fernando Sicard

President Trump commuted the sentence of Luis Fernando Sicard. Mr. Sicard was sentenced in 2000 for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm during and in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

DeWayne Phelps 

President Trump commuted the sentence of DeWayne Phelps. He served 11 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. 

Isaac Nelson

President Trump commuted the sentence of Isaac Nelson. He was serving a mandatory 20-year sentence for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of 5 kilograms or more of cocaine and 50 grams or more of crack cocaine. 

Traie Tavares Kelly 

President Trump commuted the sentence of Traie Tavares Kelly. He was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base and 5 kilograms or more of cocaine.

Javier Gonzales 

President Trump commuted the sentence of Javier Gonzales. He was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine in 2005.

Eric Wesley Patton

President Trump granted a full pardon to Eric Wesley Patton. Mr. Patton was convicted of making a false statement on a mortgage application in 1999.

Robert William Cawthon

President Trump granted a full pardon to Robert William Cawthon. Cawthon was convicted in 1992 for making a false statement on a bank loan application and was sentenced to 3 years’ probation, conditioned upon 180 days’ home confinement.

Hal Knudson Mergler

President Trump granted a full pardon to Hal Knudson Mergler. He was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in 1992. He received 1 month imprisonment, 3 years supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution.

Gary Evan Hendler

President Trump granted a full pardon to Gary Evan Hendler. In 1984, Mr. Hendler was convicted of conspiracy to distribute and dispense controlled substances and served 3 years’ probation for his crime. 

John Harold Wall 

President Trump granted a full pardon to John Harold Wall. Mr. Wall was convicted of aiding and abetting possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine in 1992. He completed a 60-month prison sentence with 4 years’ supervised release.

Steven Samuel Grantham 

President Trump granted a full pardon to Steven Samuel Grantham. Mr. Grantham was convicted in 1967 for stealing a vehicle. He received 18-months imprisonment, and 2 years’ probation.

Clarence Olin Freeman

President Trump granted a full pardon to Clarence Olin Freeman. Freeman was convicted in 1965 for operating an illegal whiskey still. He received 9 months imprisonment and 5 years’ probation. 

Fred Keith Alford 

President Trump granted a full pardon to Fred Keith Alford. He was convicted in 1977 for a firearm violation and served 1 year’s unsupervised probation.

John Knock 

President Trump commuted the sentence of John Knock. This commutation is supported by his family. Mr. Knock was a 73 year-old man in 2020, a first-time, non-violent marijuana only offender, who has served 24 years of a life sentence.

Kenneth Charles Fragoso

President Trump commuted the sentence of Kenneth Charles Fragoso. Mr. Fragoso is a 66-year-old United States Navy veteran who has served more than 30 years of a life sentence for a nonviolent drug offense.

Luis Gonzalez

President Trump commuted the sentence of Luis Gonzalez. Mr. Gonzalez is a 78-year-old non-violent drug offender who has served more than 27 years of a life sentence.

Anthony DeJohn

President Trump commuted the sentence of Anthony DeJohn. Mr. DeJohn has served more than 13 years of a life sentence for conspiracy to distribute marijuana.

Corvain Cooper

President Trump commuted the sentence of Mr. Corvain Cooper. In 2020, he had served more than 7 years of a life sentence for his non-violent participation in a conspiracy to distribute marijuana.

Way Quoe Long

President Trump commuted the sentence of Way Quoe Long. Mr. Long is a 58-year-old who has served nearly half of a 50-year sentence for a non-violent conviction for conspiracy to manufacture and distribute marijuana.

Michael Pelletier 

President Trump commuted the sentence of Michael Pelletier. Mr. Pelletier is a 64 year-old who has served 12 years of a 30 year sentence for conspiracy to distribute marijuana. 

Craig Cesal

President Trump commuted the sentence of Craig Cesal. Mr. Cesal is a father of two, one of whom unfortunately passed away while he was serving his life sentence for conspiracy to distribute marijuana.

Darrell Frazier

President Trump commuted the sentence of Darrell Frazier. Mr. Frazier is a 60-year-old who has served 29 years of a life sentence for non-violent conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine.

Lavonne Roach 

President Trump commuted the sentence of Lavonne Roach. Ms. Roach has served 23 years of a 30-year sentence for non-violent drug charges.

Blanca Virgen 

President Trump commuted the sentence of Blanca Virgen. Ms. Virgen had served 12 years of a 30-year sentence.

Robert Francis

President Trump commuted the sentence of Robert Francis. Mr. Francis has served 18 years of a life sentence for non-violent drug conspiracy charges.

Brian Simmons 

President Trump commuted the sentence of Brian Simmons. Mr. Simmons has served 5 years of a 15-year sentence for a non-violent conspiracy to manufacture and distribute marijuana.

Derrick Smith

President Trump commuted the sentence of Derrick Smith. Mr. Smith is a 53-year-old who has served more than 20 years of a nearly 30-year sentence for distribution of drugs to a companion who passed away.

Raymond Hersman

President Trump commuted the sentence of Raymond Hersman. Mr. Hersman is a 55-year-old father of two who has served more than 9 years of a 20-year sentence.

David Barren 

President Trump commuted the sentence of David Barren. He served 13 years of his life sentence in addition to 20 years for a non-violent drug conspiracy charge.

James Romans 

President Trump commuted the sentence of James Romans. Mr. Romans is a father and a grandfather who received a life sentence without parole for his involvement in a conspiracy to distribute marijuana.

Jonathon Braun

President Trump commuted the sentence of Jonathan Braun. Mr. Braun has served 5 years of a 10-year sentence for conspiracy to import marijuana and to commit money laundering.

Michael Harris

President Trump commuted the sentence of Michael Harris. Mr. Harris is a 59 year old who has served 30 years of a 25 year to life sentence for conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.

Kyle Kimoto

President Trump commuted the sentence of Kyle Kimoto. Mr. Kimoto is a father of six who has served 12 years of his 29 year sentence for a non-violent telemarketing fraud scheme.

Chalana McFarland  

President Trump commuted the sentence of Chalana McFarland. Ms. McFarland has served 15 years of a 30-year sentence. Though she went to trial, Ms. McFarland actually cooperated with authorities by informing them of a potential attack on the United States Attorney. Her co-defendants who pled guilty, however, received lesser sentences ranging from 5 to 87 months.

Eliyahu Weinstein 

President Trump commuted the sentence of Eliyahu Weinstein. He was serving his eighth year of a 24-year sentence for real estate investment fraud.

John Estin Davis

President Trump commuted the sentence of John Estin Davis. He spent 4 months incarcerated for serving as Chief Executive Office of a healthcare company with a financial conflict of interest.

Alex Adjmi

President Trump granted a full pardon to Alex Adjmi. In 1996, Mr. Adjmi was convicted of a financial crime and served 5 years in prison.

Elliott Broidy 

President Trump granted a full pardon to Elliott Broidy. Mr. Broidy is the former Deputy National Finance Chair of the Republican National Committee. Broidy was convicted on one count of conspiracy to serve as an unregistered agent of a foreign principal.

Stephen K. Bannon 

President Trump granted a full pardon to Stephen Bannon. Prosecutors pursued Mr. Bannon with charges related to fraud stemming from his involvement in a political project.

Douglas Jemal 

President Trump granted a full pardon to Douglas Jemal. In 2008, Mr. Jemal was convicted of fraud.

Noah Kleinman

President Trump commuted the sentence of Noah Kleinman. He served 6 years of a nearly 20-year sentence for a non-violent crime to distribute marijuana.

Dr. Scott Harkonen 

President Trump granted a full pardon Dr. Scott Harkonen. Dr. Harkonen was convicted of fraud based on a misleading caption in a press release with respect to a treatment for a disease, the White House said.

Johnny D. Phillips, Jr. 

President Trump granted a full pardon to Johnny D. Phillips, Jr. In 2016, Mr. Phillips was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud.

Dr. Mahmoud Reza Banki 

President Trump granted a full pardon to Dr. Mahmoud Reza Banki. In 2010 Dr. Banki was charged with monetary violations of Iranian sanctions and making false statements. The charges related to sanctions violations were subsequently overturned by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Tena Logan 

President Trump commuted the sentence of Tena Logan. Ms. Logan served 8 years of a 14-year sentence for a non-violent drug offense.

MaryAnne Locke 

President Trump commuted the sentence of MaryAnne Locke. She served roughly 11 years of a nearly 20-year sentence for a non-violent drug offense.

April Coots

President Trump commuted the sentence of April Coots. Ms. Coots served more than 10 years of her 20-year sentence for a non-violent drug offense.

Caroline Yeats

President Trump commuted the sentence of Caroline Yeats. Ms. Yeats was a first-time, non-violent drug offender who has served nearly 7 years of a 20-year sentence.

Jodi Lynn Richter 

President Trump commuted the sentence of Jodi Lynn Richter. Ms. Richter has served 10 years of a 15-year sentence for a non-violent drug offense.

Kristina Bohnenkamp

President Trump commuted the sentence of Kristina Bohnenkamp. She served more than 10 years of a 24-year sentence for a non-violent drug offense.

Mary Roberts

President Trump commuted the sentence of Mary Roberts. She served 10 years of a 19-year sentence for a non-violent drug offense. 

Cassandra Ann Kasowski 

President Trump commuted the sentence of Cassandra Ann Kasowski. She served more than 7 years of a 17-year sentence for a non-violent drug offense. 

Lerna Lea Paulson 

President Trump commuted the sentence of Lerna Lea Paulson. She served nearly 7 years of a 17-year sentence for a non-violent drug offense.

Ann Butler 

President Trump commuted the sentence of Ann Butler. Ms. Butler has served more than 10 years of a nearly 20-year sentence for a non-violent offense.

Sydney Navarro 

President Trump commuted the sentence of Sydney Navarro. She served nearly 8 years of a 27-year sentence for a non-violent drug offense.

Tara Perry

President Trump commuted the sentence of Tara Perry. She served nearly 7 years of a 16-year sentence for a non-violent drug offense.

John Nystrom

President Trump granted a full pardon to John Nystrom, who, other than this conviction, was described by his sentencing judge as a “model citizen.” Over 10 years ago, while working as a contractor on a school reconstruction project, Mr. Nystrom failed to alert the proper authorities when he learned that a subcontractor was receiving double payments for work performed, the White House said. Mr. Nystrom took full responsibility for this oversight and even tried to pay the Crowe Creek Tribe, who was paying for the work, restitution before he pled guilty.

Gregory Jorgensen, Deborah Jorgensen, Martin Jorgensen 

President Trump granted full pardons to Gregory and Deborah Jorgensen, and a posthumous pardon to Martin Jorgensen. In the 1980s, Gregory and his father, Martin, gathered a group of South Dakota cattle producers to market and sold processed beef. The Jorgensen’s marketed their beef under the Dakota Lean brand and sold the premium product as heart-healthy and antibiotic- and hormone-free. When demand outstripped supply, Gregory, Deborah, and Martin mixed in inferior, commercial beef trim and knowingly sold misbranded beef. 

Jessica Frease 

President Trump granted a full pardon to Jessica Frease. She was 20 years old when she was convicted after converting stolen checks and negotiating them through the bank where she worked as a teller. Upon her arrest, however, she immediately relinquished the stolen funds to the authorities. After serving her two year sentence, she was granted early termination of her supervised release.

Robert Cannon “Robin” Hayes

President Trump granted a full pardon to Robert Cannon “Robin” Hayes. The former North Carolina Congressman was serving a 1-year term of probation for making a false statement in the course of a Federal investigation.

Thomas Kenton “Ken” Ford 

President Trump granted a full pardon to Ken Ford, a 38-year veteran of the coal industry and currently the General Manager of a coal company. Twenty years ago, Mr. Ford made a material misstatement to Federal mining officials. Mr. Ford pled guilty and served a sentence of 3 years’ probation.

Jon Harder

President Trump commuted the sentence of Jon Harder, former President and CEO of Sunwest Management Inc., who served nearly 5 years of a 15-year prison sentence. Mr. Harder was serving as president and CEO of Sunwest Management Inc., a large management company overseeing residential senior care facilities when he misused investment funds during the real estate crisis.

Scott Conor Crosby

President Trump granted a full pardon to Scott Conor Crosby. In 1992, Mr. Crosby made a “‘spur of the moment’ poor decision” to participate in a co-worker’s plan to commit a bank robbery.

Chris Young

President Trump commuted the remaining sentence of Chris Young. He served over 10 years of a 14-year sentence for his role in a drug conspiracy.

Adrianne Miller

President Trump commuted the remaining sentence of Adrianne Miller. She served 6 years of a 15-year sentence after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a List I chemical. 

Lynn Barney 

President Trump granted a full pardon to Lynn Barney. He was sentenced to 35 months in prison for possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon, after having previously been convicted for distributing a small amount of marijuana.

Joshua J. Smith

President Trump granted a full pardon to Joshua J. Smith. Since his release from prison in 2003 for conspiracy to possess drugs with intent to distribute, Mr. Smith has dedicated his life to his faith and to his community.

Amy Povah

President Trump granted a full pardon to Amy Povah, the founder of the CAN-DO (Clemency for All Non-violent Drug Offenders) Foundation. In the 1990s, Ms. Povah served 9 years of a 24-year sentence for a drug offense before President Clinton commuted her remaining prison sentence in 2000.

Dr. Frederick Nahas 

President Trump granted a full pardon to Frederick Nahas. In the 1990s, Dr. Nahas became aware of a Federal investigation into his billing practices. Although the 6-year investigation uncovered no underlying billing fraud, Dr. Nahas did not fully cooperate and ultimately pled guilty to one count of obstructing justice in a health care investigation. Dr. Nahas spent 1 month in prison in 2003.

David Tamman 

President Trump granted a full pardon to David Tamman. Tamman was a partner at a major American law firm when he doctored financial documents that were the subject of a Federal investigation. These actions were done at the behest of a client who was perpetrating a Ponzi scheme upon unsuspecting investors. Mr. Tamman was convicted of his crimes following a bench trial and completed his seven-year sentence in 2019.

Dr. Faustino Bernadett

President Trump granted a full pardon to Dr. Faustino Bernadett. In approximately early 2008, Dr. Bernadett failed to report a hospital kickback scheme of which he became aware.

Paul Erickson 

President Trump has issued a full pardon to Paul Erikson. His conviction was based on “the Russian collusion hoax,” as the Trump administration described it. He was charged with a “minor financial crime” and sentenced to 7 years’ imprisonment.

Kwame Kilpatrick 

President Trump commuted the sentence of the former Mayor of Detroit, Kwame Malik Kilpatrick. Mr. Kilpatrick had served approximately 7 years in prison for his role in a racketeering and bribery scheme while he held public office. 

Fred “Dave” Clark 

President Trump commuted Dave Clark’s remaining term of incarceration after serving over 6 years in Federal prison for a first-time, non-violent offense.

Todd Farha, Thaddeus Bereday, William Kale, Paul Behrens, Peter Clay 

President Trump granted full pardons to Todd Farha, Thaddeus Bereday, William Kale, Paul Behrens, and Peter Clay, former executives of a healthcare maintenance organization. In 2008, Messrs. Farha, Bereday, Kale, Behrens, and Clay were criminally prosecuted for a state regulatory matter involving the reporting of expenditures to a state health agency. The expenditures reported were based on actual monies spent, and the reporting methodology was reviewed and endorsed by those with expertise in the state regulatory scheme. 

David Rowland

President Trump granted a full pardon to David Rowland. Mr. Rowland’s asbestos removal license had lapsed when he agreed to remove asbestos found in an elementary school. He completed the work in compliance with all other regulations but received 2 years’ probation for a violation of the Clean Air Act.

Randall “Duke” Cunningham

President Trump granted a conditional pardon to Randall “Duke” Cunningham who was released from prison in 2013. Mr. Cunningham, a former California Congressman, was sentenced to over 8 years’ imprisonment for accepting bribes while he held public office.

William Walters

President Trump commuted the sentence of William Walters. He was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment for insider trading. Since his conviction, Mr. Walters has served nearly 4 years of his prison sentence and has paid $44 million in fines, forfeitures, and restitution. In addition to his established reputation in the sports and gaming industry, Mr. Walters is well known for his philanthropic efforts and was previously named Las Vegas’ Philanthropist of the Year.

Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., aka Lil Wayne

President Trump granted a full pardon to Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., also known as “Lil Wayne.”  Mr. Carter pled guilty to possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, owing to a conviction over 10 years ago. 

Stephen Odzer 

President Trump granted a conditional pardon to Stephen Odzer. This pardon is supported by former Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, Sigmund “Sig” Rogich, Jason Greenblatt, Michael Steinhardt, Wayne Allyn Root, Salvador Moran, the Aleph Institute, and numerous members of Mr. Odzer’s religious community. Mr. Odzer pled guilty to conspiracy and bank fraud, for which he was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Numerous individuals testify to his substantial philanthropic and volunteer activities. His philanthropic endeavors include providing personal protective equipment to front-line workers in New York City hospitals; visiting sick children in hospitals; and donating religious materials to prison inmates and U.S. Service Members around the world. He has also dedicated resources to support and build synagogues in memory of his late cousin who was kidnapped and killed by Muslim terrorists while in Israel. The pardon requires Mr. Odzer to pay the remainder of his restitution order.

James Brian Cruz 

President Trump commuted the remaining sentence of James Brian Cruz. He served approximately half of a 40-year sentence for a drug crime.

Steven Benjamin Floyd

President Trump granted a full pardon to Steven Benjamin Floyd. Floyd joined the United States Marines Corps at age 17 and earned a combat action ribbon in Iraq. He pled guilty to one count of bank robbery by extortion.

Joey Hancock 

President Trump granted a full pardon to Joey Hancock. He was convicted for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

David E. Miller

President Trump granted a full pardon to David E. Miller. In 2015, Mr. Miller pled guilty to one count of making a false statement to a bank.

James Austin Hayes

President Trump granted a full pardon to James Austin Hayes. Nearly 10 years ago, Mr. Hayes was convicted of conspiracy to commit insider trading.

Drew Brownstein

President Trump granted a full pardon to Drew Brownstein, who, other than this conviction, was described by his sentencing judge as someone who “goes out of his way to help people that are less fortunate.” Mr. Brownstein was convicted of insider trading and has since paid his fines and forfeitures in full, the White House said.

Robert Bowker 

President Trump granted a full pardon to Robert Bowker. Nearly 30 years ago, Mr. Bowker pled guilty to a violation of the Lacey Act, which prohibits trafficking in wildlife, when he arranged for 22 snakes owned by Rudy “Cobra King” Komarek to be transported to the Miami Serpentarium. 

Amir Khan 

President Trump granted a full pardon to Amir Khan. Mr. Khan pled guilty to wire fraud. 

Shalom Weiss

President Trump commuted the sentence of Shalom Weiss. Mr. Weiss was convicted of racketeering, wire fraud, money laundering, and obstruction of justice, for which he has already served over 18 years and paid substantial restitution. He was 66 years old in 2020 and suffered from chronic health conditions.

Salomon Melgen

President Trump commuted the sentence of Salomon Melgen. Dr. Melgen was convicted of healthcare fraud and false statements.

Patrick Lee Swisher

President Trump granted a full pardon to Patrick Lee Swisher. Mr. Swisher was convicted of tax fraud and false statements.

Robert Sherrill 

President Trump granted a full pardon to Robert Sherrill. Mr. Sherrill was convicted of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. 

Dr. Robert S. Corkern 

President Trump granted a full pardon to Robert S. Corkern. Dr. Corkern was convicted of Federal program bribery.

David Lamar Clanton

President Trump granted a full pardon to David Lamar Clanton. Mr. Clanton was convicted of false statements and related charges. 

George Gilmore 

President Trump granted a full pardon to George Gilmore. He was convicted for failure to pay payroll taxes and false statements.

Desiree Perez 

President Trump granted a full pardon to Desiree Perez. Ms. Perez was involved in a conspiracy to distribute narcotics.

Robert “Bob” Zangrillo 

President Trump granted a full pardon to Robert Zangrillo. He was charged in connection with the Varsity Blues investigation.

Hillel Nahmad

President Trump granted a full pardon to Hillel Nahmad. He was convicted of a sports gambling offense. Since his conviction, he has lived an exemplary life and has been dedicated to the well-being of his community.  

Brian McSwain 

The President granted a full pardon to Brian McSwain. Since serving his 18-month sentence for a drug crime committed in the early 1990s, Mr. McSwain has been gainfully employed and has been passed over for several promotion opportunities due to his felony conviction, according to the White House.

John Duncan Fordham 

President Trump granted a full pardon to John Duncan Fordham. Mr. Fordham was convicted on one count of health care fraud. A judge later dismissed the conspiracy charge against him.

William “Ed” Henry 

President Trump granted a full pardon to William “Ed” Henry of Alabama. He was sentenced to 2 years’ probation for aiding and abetting the theft of government property and paid a $4,000 fine.

In addition, the White House said President Trump commuted the sentences to time served for the following individuals: Jeff Cheney, Marquis Dargon, Jennings Gilbert, Dwayne L. Harrison, Reginald Dinez Johnson, Sharon King, and Hector Madrigal, Sr.

The Associated Press and TEGNA’s Travis Pittman contributed to this article. 

Memphis police use excessive force and discriminate against Black people, Justice Department finds

https://apnews.com/article/tyre-nichols-memphis-police-federal-investigation-beac021fcf8b5fd255ce79520cec86fa

Image

FILE – Members of the Memphis Police Department work a crime scene in Memphis, Tenn., Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

By  ADRIAN SAINZJONATHAN MATTISE and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER
Updated 9:27 PM EST, December 4, 2024
  

The Memphis Police Department uses excessive force and discriminates against Black people, according to the findings of a U.S. Department of Justice investigation launched after the beating death of Tyre Nichols after a traffic stop in 2023.

A report released Wednesday marked the conclusion of the investigation that began six months after Nichols was kicked, punched and hit with a police baton as five officers tried to arrest him after he fled a traffic stop.

The report says that “Memphis police officers regularly violate the rights of the people they are sworn to serve.”

“The people of Memphis deserve a police department and city that protects their civil and constitutional rights, garners trust and keeps them safe,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in an emailed statement.

The city said in a letter released earlier Wednesday that it would not agree to negotiate federal oversight of its police department until it could review and challenge results of the investigation.

City officials had no immediate comment on the report but said they plan to hold a news conference Thursday after Justice Department officials hold their own news conference in Memphis on Thursday morning to address the findings.

Police video showed officers pepper spraying Nichols and hitting him with a Taser before he ran away from a traffic stop. Five officers chased down Nichols and kicked, punched and hit him with a police baton just steps from his home as he called out for his mother. The video showed the officers milling about, talking and laughing as Nichols struggled with his injuries.

 

 

Nichols died on Jan. 10, 2023, three days after the beating. The five officers — Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith — were fired, charged in state court with murder, and indicted by a federal grand jury on civil rights and witness tampering charges.

Nichols was Black, as are the former officers. His death led to national protests, raised the volume on calls for police reforms in the U.S., and directed intense scrutiny towards the police department in Memphis, a majority Black city. The Memphis Police Department is more than 50 percent Black, and police chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis is also Black.

The report specifically mentions the Nichols case, and it addresses the police department’s practice of using traffic stops to address violent crime. The police department has encouraged officers in specialized units, task forces, and on patrol to prioritize street enforcement, and officers and community members have described this approach as “saturation,” or flooding neighborhoods with traffic stops, the report said.

“This strategy involves frequent contact with the public and gives wide discretion to officers, which requires close supervision and clear rules to direct officers’ activity,” the report said. “But MPD does not ensure that officers conduct themselves in a lawful manner.”

The report said prosecutors and judges told federal investigators that officers do not understand the constitutional limits on their authority. Officers stop and detain people without adequate justification, and they conduct invasive searches of people and cars, the report said.

“Black people in Memphis disproportionately experience these violations,” the report said. “MPD has never assessed its practices for evidence of discrimination. We found that officers treat Black people more harshly than white people who engage in similar conduct.”

The investigation found that Memphis officers resort to force likely to cause pain or injury “almost immediately in response to low-level, nonviolent offenses, even when people are not aggressive.”

The report says officers pepper sprayed, kicked and fired a Taser at an unarmed man with a mental illness who tried to take a $2 soda from a gas station. By the end of an encounter outside the gas station, at least nine police cars and 12 officers had responded to the incident, for which the man served two days in jail for theft and disorderly conduct.

In a letter to the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division released earlier Wednesday, Memphis City Attorney Tannera George Gibson said the city had received a request from the DOJ to enter into an agreement that would require it to “negotiate a consent decree aimed at institutional police and emergency services.”

A consent decree is an agreement requiring reforms that are overseen by an independent monitor and are approved by a federal judge. The federal oversight can continue for years, and violations could result in fines paid by the city.

It remains to be seen what will happen to attempts to reach such agreements between cities and the Justice Department once President-elect Donald Trump returns to office and installs new department leadership. The Justice Department under the first Trump administration curtailed the use of consent decrees, and the Republican president-elect is expected to again radically reshape the department’s priorities around civil rights.

“Until the City has had the opportunity to review, analyze, and challenge the specific allegations that support your forthcoming findings report, the City cannot — and will not — agree to work toward or enter into a consent decree that will likely be in place for years to come and will cost the residents of Memphis hundreds of millions of dollars,” the letter said.

The officers in the Nichols case were part of a crime suppression team called the Scorpion Unit, which was disbanded after Nichols’ death. The team targeted drugs, illegal guns and violent offenders, with the goal of amassing arrest numbers, while sometimes using force against unarmed people.

Memphis police never adopted policies and procedures to direct the unit, despite alarms that it was minimally supervised, according to the Justice Department report. Some prosecutors told department investigators that there were some “outrageous” inconsistences between body camera footage and arrest reports, and if the cases went to trial, they would be “laughed out of court.” The report found that the unit’s misconduct led to dozens of criminal cases being dismissed.

In court proceedings dealing with Nichols’ death, Martin and Mills pleaded guilty to the federal charges under deals with prosecutors. The other three officers were convicted in early October of witness tampering related to the cover-up of the beating. Bean and Smith were acquitted of civil rights charges of using excessive force and being indifferent to Nichols’ serious injuries.

Haley was acquitted of violating Nichols’ civil rights causing death, but he was convicted of two lesser charges of violating his civil rights causing bodily injury. The five men face sentencing by a federal judge in the coming months.

Martin and Mills also are expected to change their not guilty pleas in state court, according to lawyers involved in the case. Bean, Haley and Smith have also pleaded not guilty to state charges of second-degree murder. A trial in the state case has been set for April 28.

Justice Department investigators have targeted other cities with similar probes in recent years, including Minneapolis after the killing of George Floyd, and Louisville, Kentucky, following an investigation prompted by the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor.

 

In its letter, the city of Memphis said the DOJ’s investigation “only took 17 months to complete, compared to an average of 2-3 years in almost every other instance, implying a rush to judgment.”

___

Mattise reported from Nashville, Tennessee, and Durkin Richer reported from Washington.

A Post I Didn’t Get Done Yesterday

So here it is today. Lots of info; I think I got the link from Joyce Vance’s Substack.

It is not a short piece, but is worthy of the time.

Another food aid worker in Gaza murdered by Israeli military

Some News about Being the Loyal Opposition

from Adam Parkhomeno and Sam Youngman, so NSFW, of course. Following the snippet, a message from me for tomorrow, with thanks to Janet.

====================================

Pardon us? by Adam Parkhomenko Read on Substack

It’s Monday. There are 700 days until the midterm elections. The FBI is about to get way scarier, a warning from a monster’s mommy and Dark Brandon goes Dark Daddy.

Be advised: This newsletter uses profanity. And it’s been saving that shit up for like a week.

Note: Sexy Patriots! Holy shit we sure missed your hot asses. How the hell are you?! How was your Thanksgiving? Does Uncle Trump Trash have third-degree burns on his crotch thanks to an “accidental” gravy boat spill? Oh that’s a shame. Well we sure are glad to be back with you, and we’re damn grateful to you for letting us take some time off to recharge. Lots of scary fucked up shit happened while we were away. But right now we need to talk about this…

Um… We don’t really know what to say here. There’s weird, there’s fuck-a-couch weird and then there’s whatever the hell that is. We kinda like that Jello Diddler (JD) Vance has gone missing, but when he pops up just to do shit like this it really freaks us the eff out. It’s like there’s a roomful of horrifying serial killers but the one you really gotta worry about is the guy who keeps disappearing. We like to think Trump traded him out for Elon Leon or he’s just off defiling a sofa, but we all know he’s probably up to something stupid and evil. Whatever it is, dude, it ain’t worth it if you’re posting shit like that on Thanksgiving. Yikes. Y’all have a blessed day.

Note two: We’d just like to take a second to congratulate all the dumbshit mainstream media reporters who bought Trump’s bullshit denials about Project 2025. More: AP News

Note three: Jamie Raskin is making a move to replace Nadler on the House Judiciary Committee. Nadler is a nice man, but this needs to happen. We need warriors in key places, and few people fight like Raskin does. More: Axios

Note four: Ex-convict Charles Kushner, who was pardoned by his son’s father-in-law, will be our next ambassador to France because the only thing Trump loves more than criminals is nepotism. More: AP News

Note five: We like y’all too much to show you the clip of RFK Jr. in the shower while Cheryl Hines sells her crap. So here’s the story without the video. You’re welcome.

Note six: We understand there are people who wish Biden hadn’t done what he did for Hunter (more in the news section), but watching Colorado Gov. Jared Polis try to cozy up to the right every chance he gets is really pissing us off. Go ahead and run for president, asshole. More: The Hill

Note seven: You’re not gonna believe this but pardoned criminal Dinesh D’Souza is totally full of shit. Ok so you will believe it. This weekend Dinesh apologized for the lies in his movie, 2,000 Mules, which was about voter fraud in the 2020 election. He should have kept lying. He might have gotten elected president. More: Independent

Note eight: Did y’all watch “A Man on the Inside” over the break? Isn’t it wonderful?

Note nine: Elon Leon Musk has like 50 kids of his own, but he spent Thanksgiving with Baron Trump. How fucking weird is that? More: CNN

Note 10: Politico and other kiss-asses just don’t understand why normal decent people are leaving Elon Leon’s nazi playground Twitter for Bluesky. (snip-MORE)

==================

OK. Now for the message from Ali. Can you tell I watched a lot of PBS this weekend, with the interruption of a perfectly good and funny bit of work to remind people that democracy and freedom are not free? I feel like I’m doing that.

The thing is better and more succinctly explained here, but very briefly, tomorrow the US legislature opens a session, and we want to meet them with the message that “LGBTQ+ People Are Not Going Back.”  And neither are your allies-we aren’t going back, but we are going with you wherever you need us to, and many of us have free mom hugs to go along with that. After you wash your hands. Anyway, my bit, which I’m working on and is saved in drafts, will be to encourage all of us to write to our Congress critters, and any other Congress critters to whom we’re moved to write. I’m likely to do the Congress critters writing tonight, so they see it in the morning first thing. As the draft post here will be.

https://www.senate.gov/ https://www.house.gov/

We can fight like Jamie Raskin! (See above; Parkhomenko has that bit of great news up there. It could be a great idea to write to him, and encourage him to make the move.)

A Chinese national, charged with fraud by the SEC, just sent Donald Trump $18 million

(As is said on my other favorite blog, Our Failed Political Press at work again. sigh The money graf here: A foreign national under federal fraud prosecution making a purchase that results in $18 million cash payment to the president-elect has all the makings of a major scandal. But it has been virtually ignored by several major media outlets.

But the entire piece makes it make better sense.)

by Judd Legum Read on Substack

Chinese Crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun paid $6.2 million for a banana — sold by Sotheby’s as conceptual art — and then ate it last Friday.

The banana is not Sun’s most notable recent purchase.

On November 25, Sun purchased $30 million in crypto tokens from World Liberty Financial, a new crypto venture backed by President-elect Donald Trump. Sun said his company, TRON, was committed to “making America great again.”

World Liberty Financial planned to sell $300 million worth of crypto tokens, known as WLF, which would value the new company at $1.5 billion. But, before Sun’s $30 million purchase, it appeared to be a bust, with only $22 million in tokens sold. Sun now owns more than 55% of purchased tokens.

Sun’s decision to buy $30 million in WLF tokens has direct and immediate financial benefits for Trump. A filing by the company in October revealed that “$30 million of initial net protocol revenues” will be “held in a reserve… to cover operating expenses, indemnities, and obligations.” After the reserve is met, a company owned by Donald Trump, DT Marks DEFI LLC, will receive “75% of the net protocol revenues.”

So before Sun’s purchase, Trump was entitled to nothing because the reserve had not been met. But Sun’s purchase covered the entire reserve, so now Trump is entitled to 75% of the revenues from all other tokens purchased. As of December 1, there have been $24 million WLF tokens sold, netting Trump $18 million.

Sun is also joining World Liberty Financial as an advisor, making Sun and the incoming president business partners.

While Trump has the cash, Sun’s tokens are effectively worthless. To comply with U.S. securities law, WLF tokens are “non-transferable and locked indefinitely in a wallet or smart contract until such time, if ever, [WLF tokens] are unlocked through protocol governance procedures in a fashion that does not contravene applicable law.” The only thing that Sun can do with his tokens is participate in the “governance” of World Liberty Financial. Right now, the only thing World Liberty Financial does is sell tokens.

Any foreign national paying an incoming president $18 million weeks before entering the White House should raise red flags. Sun’s purchase is even more alarming because the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is currently prosecuting him for fraud.

The SEC’s ongoing prosecution of Sun

On March 22, 2023, the SEC charged Sun and three companies he owns. The SEC accused Sun of marketing unregistered securities and “fraudulently manipulating the secondary market” for a crypto token “through extensive wash trading.” Wash trading involves “the simultaneous or near-simultaneous purchase and sale of a security to make it appear actively traded without an actual change in beneficial ownership.” In other words, according to the SEC, Sun made it seem like there was a lot of interest in crypto tokens he issued when much of the trading was fraudulent and manufactured by Sun.

The SEC also charged Sun with “orchestrating a scheme to pay celebrities to tout” his crypto tokens “without disclosing their compensation.” Federal law requires people who endorse securities to “disclose whether they received compensation for the promotion, and to specify the amount.” The celebrities involved included Lindsay Lohan, Jake Paul, and Soulja Boy.

Lohan paid $40,000, and Paul paid about $100,000 to settle the charges against them without admitting liability. Soulja Boy did not respond to the lawsuit, and a default judgment was issued against him.

Sun posted on X that he believes the SEC “complaint lacks merit” and complained that “the SEC’s regulatory framework for digital assets is still in its infancy and is in need of further development.”

The litigation against Sun is ongoing, with a federal judge considering a motion by Sun’s attorneys to dismiss the charges. The current SEC Chairman, Gary Gensler, who announced the charges against Sun, will step down when Trump takes office in January. A new SEC commissioner appointed by Trump could settle or dismiss the charges against Sun.

How Trump can use the power of the presidency to unlock hundreds of millions in profits for himself

Through World Liberty Financial, Trump can reap massive personal profits from creating a more permissive regulatory environment for crypto ventures.

In addition to his 75% share of revenues over $30 million, Trump’s company was also awarded 22.5 billion WLF tokens. At the current sale price, these tokens are worth more than $300 million. That is more than 20 billion tokens being offered for sale publicly. (This makes the “governance” value of WLF tokens, which was already questionable, effectively worthless. No matter how many tokens you own, Trump will always be able to outvote other token holders.)

Right now, Trump’s tokens — like those purchased by Sun — are worthless because they cannot be transferred. But Trump could appoint a new SEC chairman who is friendly to the crypto industry and who would create new rules allowing the WLF tokens and similar crypto assets to be legally traded. If the price of the tokens increases when they hit the open market, which is a possibility for a crypto token backed by the President of the United States, the value of Trump’s tokens could be in the billions.

That appears to be exactly the path Trump is taking. WIRED reports that Trump is “asking the crypto industry to weigh in on potential picks.” Among the leading contenders is Paul Atkins, a former SEC Commissioner, who, since leaving the agency in 2008, has run a consulting firm that works with crypto companies. Atkins is also co-chair of the Token Alliance, an initiative of the Chamber of Digital Commerce, the lobbying group for the crypto industry. He is also a member of the Chamber of Digital Commerce’s Board of Directors.

Another top contender, former SEC General Counsel Robert Stebbins, has said that the SEC should “pause most of its crypto lawsuits while clearing a path for the firms to do business without the overhang of litigation.” But Stebbins’ candidacy underscores the need for Sun to forge a favorable relationship with Trump. Stebbins acknowledged that, even if it takes a more permissive view toward the crypto industry, it may want to consider continuing to pursue litigation involving fraud.

Major media outlets obsessed with banana, ignore Sun’s payment to Trump

A foreign national under federal fraud prosecution making a purchase that results in $18 million cash payment to the president-elect has all the makings of a major scandal. But it has been virtually ignored by several major media outlets.

The New York Times, for example, has published five articles about Sun’s purchase of the banana but none about Sun’s $30 million purchase of WLF tokens and his business partnership with Trump. The Washington Post has published three articles about the banana, but its coverage of Sun’s purchase of WLF tokens was limited to one short paragraph in a larger editorial about the crypto industry. (The paragraph does not explain how Trump personally profits from Sun’s token purchase.) The Wall Street Journal did publish a short piece about Sun’s token purchase on its “Live Update” blog, but the piece was not viewed as significant enough to be included in the print edition. The paper published two articles, plus a video, focused on the banana. One of the Wall Street Journal articles about the banana was published on the front page of the paper.

Peace & Justice History for 11/29

November 29, 1864
A U.S. Army cavalry regiment under Colonel J. M. Chivington (a Methodist missionary and candidate for Congress), acting on orders from Colorado’s Governor, John Evans, and ignoring a white surrender flag flying just below a U.S. flag, attacked sleeping Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians, killing nearly 500, in what became known as the Sand Creek Massacre. Captain Silas Soule, however, not only refused to follow Chivington’s lead at Sand Creek, but ordered his troops not to participate in the attack.
The Indians, led by Black Kettle, had been ordered away from Fort Lyon four days before, with the promise that they would be safe. Virtually all of the victims, mostly women and children, were tortured and scalped; many women, including the pregnant, were mutilated. Nine of 900 cavalrymen were killed. A local newspaper called this “a brilliant feat of arms,” and stated the soldiers had “covered themselves with glory.”
At first, Chivington was widely praised for his “victory” at the Battle of Sand Creek, and he and his troops were honored with a parade in Denver. However, rumors of drunken soldiers butchering unarmed women and children began to circulate, and Congress ordered a formal investigation of the massacre. Chivington was eventually threatened with court martial by the U.S. Army, but as he had already left his military post, no criminal charges were ever filed against him

Eyewitness Congressional testimony of John S. Smith, a white Indian agent and interpreter
 
Two different paintings of the Sand Creek Massacre
November 29, 1963

Earl Warren and LBJ
U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson establishes the Warren Commission to investigate the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
More about The Warren Commission 
November 29, 1967
U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara announces his resignation during the Vietnam War.

Robert McNamara
The Fog of War a movie about the Vietnam War 

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Peace & Justice History for 11/27

November 27, 1095
Pope Urban II called on all Christians to liberate Jerusalem from the Muslims and reclaim the Holy Land: “Deus vult (God wills it)!” What is currently called the Middle East was then in control of the Turks who frequently barred Christian pilgrims entrance to the city.
At the Council of Clermont in France, the pope promised absolution and remission of sins for all who died in the service of Christ. The mobilization of 60,000 to 100,000 Christians throughout Europe in this effort became known as the First Crusade.
 
November 27, 1914
The No-Conscription Fellowship (NCF) was founded by two English pacifists, Clifford Allen and Fenner Brockway. They opposed the Military Service Act which introduced conscription, and then mounted a vigorous campaign against the punishment and imprisonment of conscientious objectors.
They were consistently opposed to the war in Europe.


Early Fellowship members 

Fellowship members at a recent protest

Read more about Clifford Allen, Fenner Brockway and No-Conscription Fellowship 
More on the No-Conscription Fellowship from the Swarthmore College Peace Collection 
November 27, 1957
Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister, made an impassioned speech appealing to the United States and the Soviet Union (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) to end testing and begin nuclear disarmament. The two superpowers were the only nations with atomic weapons at the time.
Nehru had fought to free his country from British colonial authority through acts of nonviolent passive resistance with Ghandi, and they achieved independence. He stressed the urgency for the U.S. and U.S.S.R. to “save humanity from the ultimate disaster.”Nehru’s Congress Party government nevertheless pursued an aggressive nuclear program, starting in 1948, publicly committed to peaceful purposes exclusively. Nehru acknowledged that the possession of fissionable materials and growing expertise could readily be directed toward production of such weapons. In the absence of universal nuclear disarmament, he feared acquisition of such weapons by potential adversaries. In particular for India, this meant Pakistan or China.


India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru
Nuclear India – a short history 
November 27, 1965
In Washington D.C., 35,000 anti-war protesters circled the White House then marched on to the Washington Monument for a rally against the war in Vietnam.
November 27, 1967
Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. announced the Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s Poor People’s Campaign, a movement to broadly address economic inequalities with nonviolent direct action. “It must not be just black people,” argued King, “it must be all poor people. We must include American Indians, Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, and even poor whites.”

Why a Poor People’s Campaign? 
November 27, 1969
Over one hundred members of the U.S. 71st Evacuation Hospital and the 44th Medical Detachment at Pleiku, Vietnam, organized a Thanksgiving protest fast called the “John Turkey movement.” In Home before Morning, nurse Lynda Van Devanter recalled her change in attitude.

Nurse Lynda Van Devanter
“Earlier in my tour, when I had heard about the war protesters, I had felt angry at them for not supporting us.  Now I wished I could march with them . . . Most others in Pleiku felt the same way . . . We even held our own Thanksgiving Day fast—the John Turkey movement — as a show of support for those who were trying to end the war through protests and moratoriums. We heard that the fast had spread to units all over Vietnam.” The fast received considerable media coverage when Denise Murray, a nurse at Pleiku and daughter of a distinguished admiral, made antiwar statements to the press.

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Peace & Justice History for 11/26

November 26, 1968
U.N. General Assembly passed a resolution against capital punishment following an official report which said, “Examination of the number of murders before and after the abolition of the death penalty does not support the theory that capital punishment has a unique deterrent effect.”
More on capital punishment and homicide 
November 26, 1970
American Indian activists marked Thanksgiving with a National Day of Mourning for Native Americans by occupying Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts, the alleged landing spot of the Pilgrims’ arrival in Massachusetts colony. Led by Wamsutta Frank James, an Aquinnah Wampanoag elder and music teacher, over 200 Indians seized the Mayflower II and painted Plymouth Rock red.

Day of Mourning demo in downtown Plymouth
James had refused to speak at a state dinner the night before commemorating the 350th anniversary of the landing, and went on to organize United American Indians of New England.
Wamsutta Frank James’ suppressed speech 
video footage 2022 National Day of Mourning
November 26, 1983
President Ronald Reagan ordered military assistance to Iraq in the war Saddam Hussein had begun by invading Iran. To prevent an Iraqi military collapse, the Reagan administration supplied battlefield intelligence on Iranian troop buildups to the Iraqis, sometimes through third parties such as Saudi Arabia.
National Security Decision Directive 114, signed on that day, stated that the United States would do “whatever was necessary and legal” to prevent Iraq from losing the war with Iran. It called for heightened regional military cooperation to defend oil facilities, and measures to improve U.S. military capabilities in the Persian Gulf.
The assistance was granted despite frequent and consistent reports of Iraqi use of chemical weapons, a clear violation of the 1925 Geneva Protocol. Mustard gas had been used against Iranian troops and against “human wave” attacks by thousands of Basij (Popular Mobilization Army or People’s Army) volunteers.

The full story on U.S.-Iraq relations at that time 
The Geneva Protocol 

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Peace & Justice History for 11/25

November 25, 1913
Indians marching with Mohandas Gandhi for recognition of their religious and cultural legitimacy, and individual freedom, were attacked by police, leaving five dead (shot from the back according to the inquest) and nine wounded. He was marching with more than 2000 striking miners from Natal to Transvaal provinces in South Africa in violation of the law.
Gandhi in his publication, Indian Opinion, had advocated the end of a £3 tax on ex-indentured Indians. He had lamented the violence that had been inflicted on his peaceful marchers. 

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November 25, 1947


Film industry executives, meeting in New York, announced that the “Hollywood Ten” directors, producers, and writers who had refused to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) would be fired or suspended, and not hired in the future, thus “blacklisted.” 
Who were the Hollywood Ten?  
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November 25, 1986
President Ronald Reagan and Attorney General Edwin Meese revealed that $30 million in profits from secret arms sales to Iran had been diverted to support the Nicaraguan contra insurgents in violation of U.S. law. What became known as the Iran-Contra Affair was revealed three weeks after a Lebanese magazine reported arms had been sold in violation of U.S. policy.

Reagan & Meese
The arms trade with the revolutionary government of the Islamic Republic of Iran was carried out in hopes of freeing some of the Western hostages held by Iran’s allies in the middle east. Reagan had repeatedly pledged never to negotiate with terrorists.
However, notes of an earlier meeting kept by then-Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger said, “President decided to go with Israeli-Iranian offer to release our 5 hostages in return for sale of 4,000 TOWs [U.S. missiles] to Iran by Israel.  [Sec. of State] George Shultz + I opposed — [CIA Director] Bill Casey, Ed Meese + VP [George H.W. Bush] favored — as did Poindexter.”
The Congress had specifically barred U.S. funds going to the contras (Boland amendment) who were terrorizing the Nicaraguan countryside.


John Poindexter
Reagan and Meese denied knowledge of the activity and named two subordinates — National Security Advisor Admiral John M. Poindexter and National Security Council staffer Colonel Oliver L. North — as responsible and being dismissed from their jobs as a result. “. . . [I] was not fully informed on the nature of one of the activities,” said President Reagan, referring to the fact that money from weapons sales to Iran was diverted to the contras.
Who’s who in Iran-Contra

Tom Tomorrow on Iran-Contra 
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November 25, 1988
2,000 marched in New York city to protest the sale of animal fur for clothing. Over 50 other cities held similar demonstrations.

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