President Trump pardoned Paul Walczak, a convicted tax offender, just weeks after his mother, Elizabeth Fago, attended a $1 million-per-person fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago, according to The New York Times.
President Donald Trump pardoned Paul Walczak, a Florida businessman convicted of tax crimes, shortly after his mother attended a $1 million-a-head fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago, The New York Times reported.
Walczak pleaded guilty in November to failing to pay employment taxes and file personal returns, withholding nearly $7.5 million from his healthcare companies’ employees. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison, two years of supervised release, and over $4 million in restitution—penalties erased by the pardon.
His clemency application reportedly claimed political motivations behind his prosecution, citing his mother Elizabeth Fago’s long-standing support for Trump. Fago hosted fundraisers and attended both of Trump’s inaugurations. She was also allegedly tied to efforts to publicize Ashley Biden’s diary.
Walczak’s pardon came less than three weeks after the fundraiser, amid growing scrutiny of Trump’s post-return clemency spree, including sweeping pardons for January 6 defendants. Trump has criticized Biden’s use of last-minute pardons and questioned their legality.