Trump grants pardon to tax fraudster after mother attended $1 million fundraiser
US President Donald Trump recently granted a full pardon to Paul Walczak, a nursing home executive who was convicted of tax fraud. The decision soon sparked a controversy as the pardon came just weeks after Walczak's mother -- a major Trump fundraiser -- attended a $1 million-a-head dinner promising personal access to Trump.
55-year-old Walczak was sentenced to 18 months in prison and was ordered to pay nearly $4.4 million in restitution just 12 days before the pardon was issued.
According to the prosecutors, Paul had siphoned off millions in employee payroll taxes to fund a lavish lifestyle, including the purchase of a $2 million yacht and shopping sprees at luxury retailers like Cartier and Bergdorf Goodman.
A federal judge in the case at the time justified the incarceration by declaring that there 'is not a get-out-of-jail-free card' for the rich.
Paul Walczak, a nursing home executive, was a college dropout and joined his mother, Elizabeth Fago's nursing home business, eventually becoming CEO.
After the business was sold in 2007, the pair launched a new venture in South Florida. However, by 2011, according to prosecutors, Walczak had stopped paying the required employment taxes, as reported by The Washington Post.
From 2016 to 2019, he withheld more than $10 million in payroll taxes, meant for employee benefits like Social Security and Medicare. However, he allegedly used the money for personal luxury spending.
He was charged with 13 counts of tax crimes in 2023, eventually pleading guilty to two in November 2024, just days after Trump won the presidency for a second time.
Walczak's hope for clemency allegedly rested heavily on his mother's deep ties to Trump's political sphere. His mother, Elizabeth Fago, has long been a loyal Trump donor and operative, hosting multiple fundraisers for him and other Republicans.
Fago also highlighted her connections to an effort to sabotage Joseph R Biden Jr's 2020 campaign by publicising the addiction diary of his daughter, Ashley Biden — an episode that drew law enforcement scrutiny, the Washington Post reported.
Walczak, in his pardon plea, which was filed soon after Trump's inauguration, cited not only his cooperation and remorse but suggested that the prosecution was politically motivated. He said Paul's punishment was for his mother's loyalty to Trump.
Despite an initial delay, the tide turned after Fago attended a $1 million exclusive Mar-a-Lago fundraiser last month. Less than three weeks after the event, Trump signed Walczak's pardon.
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