Jonathan Braun

pardonDrug Offences1st TermRe-offendedFurther reading

Date pardoned

20 January 2021

Convicted of

Jonathan Braun, from Long Island, New York, was a high-ranking member of an international drug trafficking organization that smuggled more than 100,000 kilograms of marijuana from Canada into the United States using boats and private planes. At the height of the operation, prosecutors estimated the network moved more than $6 million worth of marijuana per week. Braun laundered approximately $14 million in drug proceeds through the scheme. In November 2011, Braun pleaded guilty in federal court in Brooklyn (Eastern District of New York) to conspiracy to import 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana and conspiracy to launder drug proceeds. However, for reasons that remained sealed, his sentencing was delayed for nearly eight years. During that time — while free on bail — Braun built a significant presence in the "merchant cash advance" industry, a form of short-term business lending that critics describe as predatory. Alongside that business, he ran an illegal loan-sharking operation, and was separately convicted of extortion for using violence and threats against debtors who failed to repay. He was finally sentenced on May 28, 2019.

Original sentence

Sentenced on May 28, 2019 to 10 years' federal imprisonment. On January 20, 2021 — his last day in office during his first term — President Trump commuted Braun's sentence, freeing him after approximately one year in custody. The commutation was secured after Braun's family hired attorney Alan Dershowitz, who had represented Trump during his first Senate impeachment trial, to lobby on his behalf, and made use of a connection to senior White House adviser Jared Kushner. The commutation covered the prison term but left Braun's fine and supervised release conditions in place. Since his release, Braun repeatedly violated the terms of his supervised release. He was accused of sexually assaulting a family nanny, swinging an IV pole at a nurse, threatening a member of his synagogue, evading bridge tolls, and in 2024, punching his 75-year-old father-in-law during an alleged attack on his wife. In April 2025, he was arrested again after allegedly punching an acquaintance and shoving a three-year-old child, and was ordered detained. In November 2025, Judge Kiyo Matsumoto of the Eastern District of New York sentenced Braun to 27 months in prison — with credit for time already served — plus three and a half years of supervised release and six months of drug and mental health treatment.

Post-pardon activity

1mentions

2new offenses

Original source →

New Offenses After Pardon(2)

Day 75· 4 April 2025assault

Arrested after allegedly punching an acquaintance and shoving a 3-year-old child; subsequently sent back to prison on child assault charges

Day 296· 10 November 2025supervised release violations / assault

Sentenced to 27 months in prison for repeatedly violating the terms of his supervised release, including allegations of sexual assault, threatening behaviour, and assaulting a child.

Subsequent News Mentions(1)

Day 296· 11 November 2025

Braun's re-imprisonment renewed scrutiny of Trump's clemency practices, which frequently bypassed the Justice Department's traditional review process. Newsweek reported he was sentenced to 27 months after a string of alleged offenses since his commutation.

Jonathan Braun

New Offenses After Pardon(2)

Subsequent News Mentions(1)

Further Reading(6)