An analysis by California Governor Gavin Newsom and House Judiciary Committee Democrats found that Trump's pardons and commutations have wiped out nearly $2 billion in court-ordered restitution to crime victims and repayments owed to taxpayers.
The $2 billion includes $1.3 billion in victim restitution — money courts ordered convicted criminals to pay back to the people they defrauded — plus hundreds of millions in fines and forfeitures owed to the federal government for Medicare fraud, tax fraud, and other financial crimes.
Notable cases include: Trevor Milton, founder of electric truck company Nikola, who was convicted of securities and wire fraud — prosecutors sought $660 million in restitution to defrauded shareholders. Jason Galanis, convicted of securities fraud, owed $84.8 million in restitution. Reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, convicted of bank fraud, owed $17.8 million. All received pardons or commutations that erased their financial obligations to victims.
The pardons mean fraud victims who were already waiting years for court-ordered repayment will now receive nothing. Taxpayers who were defrauded through Medicare schemes and tax fraud lose billions in recovery. The pattern shows Trump systematically using his pardon power to benefit wealthy white-collar criminals at the direct expense of their victims.