Recipients of Trump’s Pardons Also Off the Hook for Restitution

President Trump’s recent round of clemency actions has done more than shorten or eliminate prison sentences—it has also wiped out major financial penalties that were intended to compensate victims and recover taxpayer money. A Washington Post review found that at least 20 people who received pardons or commutations from Trump this year also had restitution orders or fines erased, eliminating tens of millions of dollars in payments that were expected to go to fraud victims and the federal government.

Some of the lost restitution was meant for small investors who said they were misled and suffered significant financial harm, while other funds were owed to the IRS. Elizabeth Oyer, a former U.S. pardon attorney who was dismissed early in Trump’s second term, said the decisions benefit convicted individuals at the expense of victims and taxpayers, calling the outcomes “a windfall to the people who committed crimes.”

One of the most prominent cases involves Trevor Milton, the founder of electric truck company Nikola. Milton was convicted by a jury in 2022 on securities and wire fraud charges after prosecutors said he deceived investors by promoting hydrogen truck technology that did not exist. In 2023, Judge Edgardo Ramos sentenced Milton to four years in prison and indicated he was prepared to order roughly $660 million in restitution to investors. Before that restitution order was finalized, President Trump pardoned Milton in March, ending the prison sentence and nullifying the potential restitution. The pardon also allowed Milton to retain a 4,700-acre ranch in Utah that had been slated for forfeiture.

Some investors say they have little recourse left. Utah businessman Liejo Supoto, who invested more than $100,000 in Nikola stock after seeing Milton promote the company on television and online, said he eventually recovered financially but left the stock market altogether. He described the result as unfair, saying Milton kept his money and received a pardon without accountability. Another retired investor, a longtime Trump supporter, told the Los Angeles Times that he felt betrayed by the outcome. During a 2023 hearing, Judge Ramos acknowledged that Milton’s actions caused “real loss to real people.”

In other clemency cases, the main financial harm fell on the federal government. Paul Walczak, a health care executive who pleaded guilty to tax crimes and was ordered to pay more than $4 million to the IRS, received a pardon just 12 days after his April sentencing. The pardon eliminated both his prison sentence and his repayment obligation.

The White House declined to say whether restitution for victims plays a role in President Trump’s clemency decisions, stating only that he is exercising his constitutional authority and noting that President Biden’s use of pardons has also drawn criticism. ProPublica has reported additional details on the broader pattern of clemency decisions.

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