Michelino Sunseri

Sunseri, a 27-year-old competitive ultrarunner from Driggs, Idaho, was convicted of violating National Park Service regulations in Grand Teton National Park. On September 2, 2024, he climbed and descended the 13,775-foot Grand Teton in 2 hours and 50 minutes — beating the previous fastest known time by nearly three minutes. In doing so, he briefly left the designated Garnet Canyon Trail to take a shortcut via the Old Climber's Trail, a route that the park's Superintendent had restricted in the 2024 Compendium of Designations, Closures, Permit Requirements and Other Restrictions. The restriction was intended to protect fragile alpine terrain. Federal prosecutors in the District of Wyoming charged Sunseri under 36 C.F.R. § 1.3, which makes it a criminal offense to violate a Superintendent's Compendium order. He was found guilty at trial in 2025 and faced a fine of up to $5,000 or six months in jail, though sentencing had not yet occurred when Trump pardoned him on November 7, 2025.