Date: November 21st, 2025 8:05 PM
Author: Civil Attorney
Based on public records and reliable news sources, the following is a list of Jewish individuals who were pardoned or had their sentences commuted by Donald Trump during his first term as President.
Notable Pardons & Commutations
• Sholom Rubashkin
• Action: Sentence Commuted (December 2017)
• Details: A Hasidic Rabbi and former executive at the Agriprocessors meatpacking plant. He was sentenced to 27 years for bank fraud and money laundering. His sentence was commuted to time served (8 years) after a bipartisan campaign arguing his sentence was excessive.
• Charles Kushner
• Action: Full Pardon (December 2020)
• Details: A real estate developer and the father of Jared Kushner (Trump's son-in-law). He was convicted in 2005 of tax evasion, witness tampering, and illegal campaign contributions. He had already served his sentence at the time of the pardon.
• Michael Milken
• Action: Full Pardon (February 2020)
• Details: A prominent financier and philanthropist known as the "Junk Bond King." He was convicted of securities fraud in 1990 and served nearly two years in prison.
• Aviem Sella
• Action: Full Pardon (January 2021)
• Details: A former Israeli Air Force officer who was the handler for spy Jonathan Pollard. He was indicted in the U.S. on espionage charges but was never extradited. The pardon was requested by the State of Israel.
• Elliott Broidy
• Action: Full Pardon (January 2021)
• Details: A former top fundraiser for the RNC and Trump campaign. He pleaded guilty to acting as an unregistered foreign agent for Chinese and Malaysian interests.
• Ken Kurson
• Action: Full Pardon (January 2021)
• Details: A journalist and former editor of the New York Observer (previously owned by Jared Kushner). He was charged with cyberstalking related to a divorce proceeding.
• Hillel "Helly" Nahmad
• Action: Full Pardon (January 2021)
• Details: A prominent art dealer who was sentenced to a year and a day in prison in 2014 for operating an illegal high-stakes gambling ring.
• Alex Adjmi
• Action: Full Pardon (January 2021)
• Details: A Syrian Jewish community leader and real estate executive. He had been convicted in 1996 of money laundering for a Colombian drug cartel.
• Albert (Al) Pirro
• Action: Full Pardon (January 2021)
• Details: A real estate lawyer and the ex-husband of Fox News host Jeanine Pirro. He was convicted in 2000 of conspiracy and tax evasion.
• Philip Esformes
• Action: Sentence Commuted (December 2020)
• Details: A healthcare executive convicted for his role in a $1 billion Medicare fraud scheme. His 20-year sentence was commuted to time served. (Note: Esformes is from a prominent philanthropic Jewish family; his father was a rabbi).
• Eliyahu Weinstein
• Action: Sentence Commuted (January 2021)
• Details: An Orthodox Jewish real estate investor from New Jersey convicted of running a Ponzi scheme that defrauded community members of $200 million.
• Sholam Weiss
• Action: Sentence Commuted (January 2021)
• Details: Sentenced to 845 years in prison (the longest ever for a white-collar crime) for racketeering and fraud related to the collapse of the National Heritage Life Insurance Company.
• Ronen Nahmani
• Action: Sentence Commuted (July 2019)
• Details: An Israeli-born Florida man sentenced to 20 years for distributing synthetic marijuana. His commutation was granted largely on humanitarian grounds as his wife was suffering from terminal cancer.
• Ari Teman
• Action: Full Pardon (January 2021)
• Details: A stand-up comedian and author convicted of bank fraud. He maintained his innocence, claiming the charges stemmed from a dispute with a payment processor.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5800868&forum_id=2Elisa#49450552)