Donald Trump has pardoned or granted clemency to more than 70 people convicted of fraud, including would-be targets of JD Vance’s “anti-fraud” task force, such as those involved in healthcare and nursing home schemes. Trump’s pardons have potentially given hundreds of millions of dollars owed to taxpayers and victims of fraud back to the convicted fraudsters.
For example, Trump pardoned Changpeng Zhao, the convicted founder of the crypto exchange Binance, who has ties with World Liberty Financial, the Trump family’s crypto company. Donald Trump Jr.’s best buddy was Zhao’s pardon advocate to the White House. Trump also pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who conspired with some of the worst drug traffickers in the world to bring more than 400 tons of cocaine into the United States.
Some of Trump’s pardons include donors convicted of financial crimes after they, or someone close to them, made massive donations to Trump’s organizations. Trump has also paused investigations into companies and billionaires who have enriched his family and businesses, including securities fraud cases and investigations into crypto billionaires who infused over $1 billion into Trump-owned crypto ventures.
Meanwhile, the Trump family’s net worth has nearly doubled since the 2024 election to a whopping $10 billion. Trump himself raked in at least $2 billion since returning to the White House — more than any other year.
