President Donald Trump has issued a pardon for a man who defrauded millions of dollars to fund his lavish lifestyle after his MAGA donor mom attended a ritzy $1million-per-head Mar-a-Lago gala.
Paul Walczak was due hand himself over to authorities to begin his 18 month sentence and pay $4.4million in restitution for his crimes when Trump issued the pardon.
In an application to be shown mercy, Walczak claimed that prosecutors targeted him due his his mother, Elizabeth Fago’s political activity.
Fago had raised millions of dollars for Trump’s campaigns and was involved in leaking Joe Biden‘s daughter Ashley’s addiction diary ahead of the 2020 election in an effort to sabotage his chances.
Initially, the pardon plea went ignored. Walczak was convicted of 13 counts of tax crimes, stealing more than $10million to fund his lavish lifestyle.
But then Fago received an invitation to Trump’s exclusive $1million-per-head fundraising event at Mar-a-Lago in April.
The invitation promised unprecedented face-to-face access to the president as part of an intimate, candlelit dinner.
Less than three weeks later, Trump issued Walczak a full and unconditional pardon, sparing him from paying the hefty restitution fee or turning himself over to authorities to be taken into custody.
In an application to be shown mercy, Walczak claimed that prosecutors targeted him due his his mother, Elizabeth Fago’s political activity (she was pictured here with Trump)
Paul Walczak was inching toward turning himself over to authorities to begin his 18 month sentence and pay $4.4million in restitution for his crimes when Trump issued the pardon
The White House told the New York Times that Walczak had been ‘targeted by the Biden administration over his family’s conservative politics’ – echoing the same sentiment he himself had used in his pardon request.
Walczak had joined his mother’s nursing home business after dropping out of college, climbing the ranks to become chief executive.
She sold the business in 2007 and the pair invested $18million into another healthcare venture in South Florida.
But prosecutors said that by 2011, Walczak had stopped paying his own taxes, and then between 2016-2019 he withheld more than $10million from his employees’ pay checks.
He had insisted this money was being used for his employees’ social secutity, Medicare and federal income taxes, when in reality it was funding the lavish lifestyle he had grown accustomed to.
This money was used to purchase a $2million yacht, travel the world in luxury and go on shopping trips at Cartier and Bergdorf Goodman.
By February 2023, he had been found and charged for his crimes. Walczak pleaded guilty in November 2024 – days after Trump was re-elected to the White House.
Then, days after Trump’s inauguration, he submitted his pardon request.
The family celebrated the pardon with ‘Make Paul Great Again’ MAGA style caps
Fago received an invitation to Trump’s exclusive $1million-per-head fundraising event at Mar-a-Lago in April. The invitation promised unprecedented face-to-face access to the president as part of an intimate, candlelit dinner
The family had been in Trump’s orbit for years prior. Pictured: Elizabeth Fago attending a separate event at Mar-a-Lago
His family had been in Trump’s orbit for years prior.
Fago and other relatives had spent the 2020 election night at a White House watch party.
After Trump’s defeat, they were invited back to the White House a month later to attend a Christmas party.
Fago has been pictured alongside the president and attended his 2017 inauguration.
Ms. Fago and other family members spent election night 2020 at a White House watch party. After Mr. Trump lost, they were invited back the next month to attend a White House Christmas party.
Trump has been on a pardoning spree since returning to the White House.
Most recently, he vowed to issue pardons for reality television stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, who were found guilty of defrauding banks out of $30 million.
On Monday he issued a pardon for a former Virginia sheriff who was convicted last year of federal bribery charges, averting prison time for the officer while also blasting Biden’s ‘corrupt’ Justice Department.
‘Sheriff Scott Jenkins, his wife Patricia, and their family have been dragged through HELL,’ Trump posted.
‘He will NOT be going to jail tomorrow, but instead will have a wonderful and productive life.’
Jenkins, a former Virginia sheriff who served an area about two hours outside Washington, D.C., was convicted by a jury in December 2024 for accepting more than $75,000 in bribes in exchange for appointments as auxiliary deputy sheriffs.
In March, Jenkins was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.
Upon returning to the White House, Trump swiftly issued pardons for all January 6 rioters.
