Joseph Schwartz
- Status
- Pardon granted; broker charged
- Clemency
- Pardon · Nov 14, 2025
- People
- Donald Trump
- The case
- Nursing-home chain tax fraud.
THE LINK TO TRUMP’S ORBIT
The compiled clemency record reports that lobbyists Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl accepted $960,000 to lobby for a pardon for Schwartz, and that Schwartz, unhappy with their efforts, then hired lobbyist Josh Nass, who was later charged with extortion; prosecutors allege Nass sought $500,000 he said Schwartz owed him for pardon work. 60 Minutes reported that a nursing-home owner convicted of tax fraud paid pardon brokers nearly $1 million.
WHAT THE RECORD SHOWS
The Justice Department list shows a sentence of 36 months’ imprisonment, a $100,000 fine and $5,000,000 restitution. ProPublica reported that Schwartz paid the $5 million restitution the judge ordered, and that the pardon wiped away his federal prison sentence. The extortion charge against Nass is an allegation; Schwartz is not accused in that case, and the compiled record describes Schwartz and his son as the targets of the alleged scheme.
RESPONSE
Schwartz’s attorney, Kevin Marino, said the pardon was “well deserved in the circumstances of this case,” Patch reported in November 2025; in March 2026 Marino told ProPublica he and Schwartz had no comment.
Correction. An earlier version listed this among grants that removed restitution or fines, and said a paid broker was later charged with extortion over the pardon. The Justice Department list gives a 36-month sentence, a $100,000 fine and $5,000,000 in restitution, and ProPublica reported that Schwartz had paid the $5 million. The extortion charge is against Nass; the compiled record describes Schwartz and his son as its alleged targets. Corrected September 18, 2026. Note added September 23, 2026.
SOURCES
- Wikipedia: List of people granted executive clemency in the second Trump presidency ↗
- CBS News / 60 Minutes: Paid brokers tout ties to Trump’s orbit to lobby for presidential pardons ↗
- U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Pardon Attorney: Clemency grants by President Donald J. Trump (2025-present) ↗
- ProPublica: A Nursing Home Owner Got a Trump Pardon. The Families of His Patients Got Nothing. ↗
- Patch: Trump Pardons NJ Nursing Home Owner Responsible For ‘Makeshift Morgue’ During COVID ↗
- NBC New York (Associated Press): A pardon lobbyist, $500,000 demand and alleged ‘enforcer’ lead to extortion charge in New York ↗
A connection recorded here is not proof that it bought the outcome. Where a response exists, it is part of the record. How entries are labeled · Submit a correction or response · Download the ledger
