FRAUD ALERT: Newsom adds new list of Trump’s pardoned fraudster friends to Trump Criminals tracker

Recently, California took the Trump administration to court for illegally freezing over $10 billion in federal funding for child care and family assistance programs that support essential programs and services for vulnerable children and their families. It took a federal judge less than 24 hours to order an emergency pause to Trump’s politically-motivated stunt targeting critical services for California families and kids. The Trump administration’s professed basis for this action was generalized concerns about fraud in the programs nationwide. Yet they chose to freeze funding only for “Democrat-led” states. And they did not point to any information or allegations specific to California. This just shows, once again, that the Trump administration does not really care about combatting fraud, only punishing their perceived enemies. 

Special treatment for rich friends? 

Just last week, Trump issued multiple additional pardons and commutations, including for a family member of a large donor loyalist who has contributed to his super PAC. A recent analysis into the pardons Trump has issued in his first year of his second term shows he has pardoned an unusually high number of wealthy people accused of financial crimes. More than half of Trump’s pardons have been for money laundering, bank fraud, and wire fraud, and half of the pardon recipients have been business executives or politicians.

DEFRAUDING THE UNITED STATES: Donald Trump was indicted in federal court for conspiracy to defraud the United States in an alleged scheme to overturn the 2020 election; after he won re-election, the Justice Department moved to dismiss the case under its longstanding policy against prosecuting a sitting President.

FOUND LIABLE FOR FRAUD: New York courts found Donald Trump and Trump Organization entities liable for fraud in the state attorney general’s civil enforcement case; in August 2025, a New York appellate court affirmed the fraud-liability finding but threw out the nearly $500 million monetary penalty as an excessive fine, and the state appealed.

TRUMP ORGANIZATION CONVICTED: A New York jury convicted two Trump Organization entities for a years-long scheme to defraud, including criminal tax fraud and falsifying business records.

ENRICHING HIMSELF: Experts warn that Trump is enriching himself and his businesses while using public office. It is estimated that Trump has made more than $800 million from crypto alone since the start of 2025.

Adriana Camberos

Adriana Camberos, whose sentence for a conspiracy conviction was commuted by Trump in 2021, just received a pardon by the President in January 2026 for a mail and wire fraud conviction. 

In 2024, she and her brother were convicted in a completely separate case after lying to manufacturers to sell wholesale groceries and additional items at big discounts in Mexico when in fact they sold them for higher prices to U.S. distributors. 

In 2021, Camberos had her sentence commuted by Trump, after she was convicted as part of an elaborate conspiracy to divert 5-Hour Energy drink bottles acquired for resale in Mexico and instead kept them in the U.S. She and multiple co-conspirators attached counterfeit labels and filled the bottles with fake liquid before selling them.

Guess the next two fraudsters on our list! 

Here’s a hint of what they’ve been up to since being pardoned by President Trump.

Julie and Todd Chrisley

Julie and Todd Chrisley, former reality TV stars, were convicted and sentenced for fraud-related offenses, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, bank fraud, tax evasion, and wire fraud. Trump issued a full and unconditional pardon in May 2025. 

The couple provided false information to banks and fabricated bank statements when applying for and receiving millions of dollars in loans before later declaring bankruptcy, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Both were released from prison May 28 after being sentenced in November 2022 to a combined 19 years in prison. The couple was also ordered to pay $17.8 million in restitution.

The President loves the Chrisleys and their fame so much that he doesn’t think there should be consequences if they engage in federal tax evasion and defraud financial institutions.

Brian Kelsey

Brian Kelsey, a former Tennessee state senator, was convicted and sentenced for conspiracy to defraud the United States and of aiding and abetting the acceptance of excessive contributions, a campaign-finance offense. Trump issued a full and unconditional pardon in March 2025 just 15 days after this Republican began serving a 21-month prison sentence.

It’s scary to think that the tolerance for FRAUD is so extreme in Tennessee that three Republican congressmen wrote letters to their supreme leader begging for a pardon for somebody who engaged in a campaign finance FRAUD scheme.

Jason Galanis 

Jason Galanis, a man once dubbed “Porn’s New King,” pled guilty and was sentenced for securities fraud and investment adviser fraud. Trump commuted his federal sentence in March 2025.

Galanis defrauded the Oglala Sioux Nation of $60 million, engaged in a scheme to manipulate the market, and defrauded clients of an investment advisory firm. But stealing money from people’s pensions doesn’t matter to the president as long as you support MAGA. 

Trump doesn’t care about fraud committed by his friends and supporters. That’s probably why he allowed Galanis to not pay his multi-million-dollar fines and didn’t publicly announce the commutation.

Glen Casada 

Former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada was convicted by a jury in a federal public-corruption case of 14 criminal counts, including honest services fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States. Trump issued a full and unconditional pardon in November 2025.

The corruption trial involved activities that occurred while Casada was a lawmaker but after he had resigned as speaker in 2019 following a no-confidence vote by fellow Republicans due to swirling scandals. Casada’s former chief of staff, Cade Cothren, stepped down in 2019 from his job amid allegations.

Thanks to Trump, Casada and Cothren are cleared for texting about cocaine use inside Tennessee state office buildings, racist and sexist messages, and whatever else they apparently thought was acceptable conduct.

Cade Cothren

Cade Cothren, former chief of staff to the Tennessee House speaker, was convicted alongside Glen Casada in the same public-corruption case and sentenced in federal court. Trump issued a full and unconditional pardon in November 2025.

Cothren launched a company called Phoenix Solutions with the knowledge and support of Casada and an associate. They claimed the company was run by a “Matthew Phoenix,” but the companies were controlled by Casada and the associate and received roughly $52,000 in taxpayer money in 2020 from a program used by lawmakers to send mailings to constituents.

Cothren received a 30-month sentence. Along with his boss, he was indicted in August 2022 and convicted May 2025.

Dinesh D’Souza 

Dinesh D’Souza, conservative mouthpiece, was convicted and sentenced for campaign contribution fraud. Trump issued a pardon in 2018.

He pled guilty and was convicted in 2014 of an illegal $20,000 campaign contribution to a New York politician. He was sentenced to five years of probation after admitting to the crime.

D’Souza has spread misinformation to the masses – going after former President Obama, Hillary Clinton, and survivors of the Parkland mass school shooting, among others, and spreading the debunked 2000 Mules election conspiracy.

Paul J. Manafort 

Paul Manafort, former Trump campaign chairman, was convicted by a jury and sentenced for bank fraud and other federal crimes. Trump issued a pardon in December 2020.

Manafort, who led Trump’s campaign in 2016 before being ousted over his ties to Ukraine, had been sentenced to more than seven years in prison for financial crimes related to his work in Ukraine. 

Manafort had a close relationship to a man U.S. officials have linked to Russian intelligence and with whom he shared internal campaign polling data.

Charles Kushner 

Charles Kushner, ambassador to France and father of Jared Kushner, pled guilty and was convicted of 18 criminal counts, including assisting in the filing of false tax returns, retaliating against a cooperating witness and making false statements to the Federal Election Commission. Trump issued a pardon in December 2020.

The real estate developer was sentenced to two years in prison. He served 14 months at a federal prison in Alabama and completed his sentence at a halfway house in Newark, N.J., until his release in August 2006.

Kushner’s eldest son, Jared, is married to Ivanka Trump, Trump’s daughter. He served as a senior White House adviser during Trump’s first term.

John Duncan Fordham

John Duncan Fordham, a former Augusta pharmacist, was convicted and sentenced for federal health care fraud. Trump issued a pardon in 2020, on his last day in office.

Fordham made an arrangement with former state Rep. Robin Williams in which Fordham would get contracts to run the Community Mental Health Center of East Central Georgia’s pharmacy. The contracts included extravagant bonuses for Fordham, who gave Williams about a third of that money in kickbacks.

John Duncan Fordham was convicted in 2005 and sentenced to 52 months in federal prison. He was released in 2009.

Philip Esformes

Philip Esformes, a former Florida health care executive, was convicted and sentenced in a federal health-care fraud case that included conspiracy to defraud the United States and charges related to kickbacks and bribery. Trump commuted his sentence in December 2020.

He was convicted in 2019 of a $1.3 billion Medicare and Medicaid fraud scheme, what the Justice Department at that time called the largest health care fraud ever charged, and scheduled to spend 20 years in prison when Trump freed him just 14 months later.

Judith Negron 

Judith Negron, who was part of a $205 million Medicare fraud scheme, was convicted and sentenced for health care fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States, among other listed counts. Trump commuted her sentence in February 2020.

Negron, along with two other owners and executives with the company she owned, American Therapeutic Corporation, were arrested in October 2010 for a scheme that prosecutors said billed Medicare for mental health treatments that patients didn’t need.

She only served 8 years of her 35-year sentence.

Eliyahu Weinstein

Eliyahu Weinstein, the mastermind behind a multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme, was convicted and sentenced in wire-fraud-conspiracy cases. He was sentenced to prison for 24 years, only for Trump to commute his sentence in January 2021.

While Trump commuted his sentence, this con man is actually heading back to federal prison for 37 years for running a new Ponzi scheme. He has been ordered to pay $44 million in restitution, due immediately, related to the new conviction.