In Donald Trump’s Orbit, Everything’s For Sale
Source: New York Times and ChatGPT
Photo: ChatGPT
The article “Pardon Industry Offers Rich Offenders a Path to Trump” was published by The New York Times (March 6, 2026) and written by reporter Kenneth P. Vogel.
It reads: One evening last November, word spread around the federal prison camp in Otisville, N.Y., that an inmate who had spent heavily to pursue clemency had hit pay dirt, winning a pardon from President Trump and walking free.
His release intensified an ongoing debate for those who were left behind. Whom could they pay to achieve the same result?
There was a lot to parse in the clemency campaign of Joseph Schwartz. He had served only three months of a three-year sentence for tax crimes related to a nursing-home empire that had collapsed amid allegations of endangering the residents and defrauding his employees.
Schwartz had not been shy about sharing the strategy behind his clemency campaign with other inmates, so they knew he had paid multiple people to try to get the job done, according to two people familiar with conversations at Otisville.
Nearly a million dollars went to right-wing operatives who claimed to have worked with Laura Loomer, a social media provocateur who has the ear of Donald Trump, to advocate for Schwartz’s release. Another $100,000 or more was paid to a lobbyist who had a different set of connections to Trump — pro-Israel evangelicals.
Thousands more went to lawyers who had personal relationships with Alice Marie Johnson, Trump’s “pardon czar,” and David Warrington, the White House counsel, according to four people familiar with the effort.
Schwartz’s supporters employed various techniques and arguments for his relief. Those included stating publicly and in private petitions and conversations that his sentence was too severe, noting that he had paid his full $5 million in federal restitution and emphasizing his religious faith and health problems.
It was not entirely clear which effort did the trick.
But the costly campaign offers rare visibility into the lucrative pardon industry.
The article investigates what it calls a growing “pardon industry” around Trump, where wealthy or well-connected federal offenders hire lawyers and lobbyists who claim they can help secure presidential clemency. Here’s a summary from ChatGPT:
1. Expensive lobbying for pardons
Some lawyers and lobbyists are reportedly charging $1 million or more to pursue a pardon or commutation from Trump.
In certain cases, they also demand success bonuses if clemency is granted.
The pitches to clients often emphasize personal access to Trump or his allies.
2. A new “pardon pipeline”
According to the reporting:
Wealthy inmates increasingly bypass the traditional Justice Department clemency process.
Instead, they seek direct political channels through Trump’s network of allies, lobbyists, and lawyers.
This creates what critics describe as a two-tier system, where rich applicants can mount expensive campaigns while ordinary prisoners rely on the slower official process.
3. Example cases highlighted
The reporting describes several examples of people pursuing clemency through lobbying efforts, including:
Joseph Schwartz, mentioned earlier, a nursing-home executive convicted of fraud, who paid about $960,000 to lobbyists seeking a Trump pardon and later received clemency.
January 6 defendants (mass pardon)
On Jan. 20, 2025, Trump issued clemency to about 1,500 people charged or convicted for the January 6 United States Capitol attack.
This included people convicted of assaulting police, vandalism, and conspiracy.
Some leaders of extremist groups had sentences commuted.
Examples include:
Enrique Tarrio (leader of the Proud Boys)
Stewart Rhodes (founder of the Oath Keepers)
This was one of the largest single clemency actions in U.S. history.
Ross Ulbricht
Founder of the dark-web marketplace Silk Road dark web marketplace.
He had been serving life plus 40 years for drug trafficking and money-laundering charges.
Trump issued a full pardon in January 2025.
Andrew Zabavsky
Former Washington, D.C., police officer.
Convicted in a case involving a police pursuit that resulted in the death of Karon Hylton-Brown.
Trump pardoned him in January 2025.
Anti-abortion activists convicted under the FACE Act
Trump pardoned multiple activists convicted of blocking abortion clinics under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act.
Examples include:
Lauren Handy
Bevelyn Beatty Williams
Eva Edl
Heather Idoni
Political allies (pre-emptive pardons)
Reports say Trump also issued pre-emptive pardons to some political allies connected to investigations around the 2020 election, including:
Rudy Giuliani
Mark Meadows
Sidney Powell
These pardons were controversial because they were granted before federal charges had been filed.
Other notable names reported in pardon lists
Additional individuals pardoned in recent clemency actions include:
Terren Scott Peizer
Wanda Vázquez Garced (former governor of Puerto Rico)
Criticism from former officials
Former Justice Department officials and legal experts cited in the reporting warn that:
The system favors wealthy offenders with political connections.
It undermines the traditional review process meant to ensure fairness.
The emergence of a paid lobbying pipeline raises ethical concerns about influence and access.
Trump’s approach to clemency
The article also notes that in Trump’s current presidency:
He has granted large numbers of pardons and commutations, sometimes outside the normal DOJ process.
Many clemency requests are tailored to arguments that resonate with him, such as claims of political prosecution or unfair treatment.
Bottom line:
The investigation argues that a lucrative network of lobbyists and lawyers has formed around the presidential pardon power, allowing wealthy offenders to pay large sums to try to secure clemency from Trump—raising concerns about fairness and influence in the justice system.
Other Notable Pardons
Joe Lewis
Owner behind the investment group connected to Tottenham Hotspur football club.
Pleaded guilty to insider trading.
Trump pardoned him in 2025.
Juan Orlando Hernández
Convicted in the U.S. for drug-trafficking conspiracy.
Received a 45-year sentence before being pardoned by Trump.
Rod Blagojevich
Convicted for corruption and attempting to sell Barack Obama’s Senate seat.
Trump had commuted his sentence in 2020 and later issued a full pardon in 2025.
Todd Chrisley and Julie Chrisley
Stars of the TV show Chrisley Knows Best.
Convicted of bank fraud and tax evasion.
Pardoned after advocacy from Trump allies.
Tennessee corruption case
Trump pardoned several Republican state officials convicted of corruption:
Glen Casada
Cade Cothren
They had been convicted in a fraudulent political mailer scheme.
Michele Fiore
Convicted of misusing $70,000 raised for a police memorial.
Received a presidential pardon in 2025.
Brian Kelsey
Convicted of campaign-finance fraud related to federal elections.
Pardoned shortly after beginning his prison sentence.
Other political allies and donors
Reports also note pardons or clemency for people linked to Trump’s political network, including:
Boris Epshteyn
Mark Meadows
Several people connected to the 2020 “fake electors” effort.
Scale of clemency:
Trump has issued over 1,700 clemency actions in his second term so far, far more than during his first presidency.
The question is, did any of these monies make its way directly into the President’s pockets?