Donald Trump speaks at the annual Road to Majority conference in Washington, DC, June 22, 2024. (Allison Bailey/NurPhoto via AP)
A New York State man whose drug-related sentence was commuted by then-President Donald Trump in 2021 was recently arrested for allegedly attacking both his wife and her septuagenarian father.
Jonathan Braun, 41, stands accused of one count of assault with injury on a person 65 years or older in the second degree, two counts of assault with intent to cause injury in the third degree, and one count of petit larceny, according to Nassau County District Court records.
Previously convicted of importing marijuana and money laundering, the defendant was also subject to a regulatory enforcement action resulting in a fine of $20 million in February for predatory lending practices in a civil case brought by the Federal Trade Commission.
The assault charges stem from two separate incidents that occurred in July and August, according to a Nassau County Police Department criminal complaint obtained by The New York Times.
On July 17, Braun allegedly threw his wife off a bed and onto the floor “causing her substantial pain and bruising her legs,” the complaint says, citing the woman as the complaining party.
On Aug. 12, the defendant again threw his wife to the floor and then punched her in the head, she allegedly told police, “causing her substantial pain” dizziness, and “bruising,” according to the complaint.
At one point during the second incident, which was precipitated by a marital argument, Braun was allegedly chasing his wife when her father intervened, police say. That intervention, however, allegedly earned the 75-year-old man two closed-fist punches to the face.
The larceny charge is entirely unrelated to the other charges — and is an allegation of behind-the-wheel scofflaw behavior.
Braun allegedly drove his white Lamborghini and black Ferrari across a bridge on Long Island without paying tolls — and without having license plates affixed to either luxury car.
Relatively minor in comparison, those tolls and fines total some $160.
In January 2021, Trump issued a final wave of 143 pardons and commutations — many of which were highly scrutinized. Braun’s commutation was no exception. In the aftermath, the Times, CNN, and the Staten Island Advance ran stories about the international drug smuggler with a “history of violence and threatening people” who was already facing additional criminal allegations at the time.
The FTC lawsuit was also joined by New York Attorney General Letitia James. Authorities in that case essentially accused Braun of acting as an enforcer for Richmond Companies — which charged astronomical interest rates on loans to small businesses.
“You have no idea what I’m going to do,” Braun allegedly told one debtor and small business owner. “I will take your daughters from you.”
In one instance, he allegedly told a rabbi he would beat and “publicly embarrass him” and said: “I am going to make you bleed.”
The entry announcing Braun’s grant of clemency reads:
Jonathon Braun — President Trump commuted the sentence of Jonathan Braun. Mr. Braun has served 5 years of a 10-year sentence for conspiracy to import marijuana and to commit money laundering. Upon his release, Mr. Braun will seek employment to support his wife and children.
A review of the federal court docket suggests a bit of padding and omission on the White House’s part. Braun was actually sentenced to 10 years plus three years to be served concurrently — meaning, at the same time. And, while he served over five months in pretrial detention, he only reported to federal prison in early January 2020 — after a lengthy series of last-ditch efforts to vacate his sentence.
The earlier Times report also revealed former Harvard Law Professor and erstwhile Trump impeachment attorney Alan Dershowitz “played a very limited role” in Braun’s bid for Clemency. He told the paper of record he “almost exclusively” advised the defendant’s father about the process and was paid “a very small amount of money.”
Braun’s latest charges could spell even larger legal problems. Despite his commutation, he was still enrolled in a program of supervised release from federal prison. If the allegations are reported to a parole officer, Braun may find himself back behind bars.
For now, the defendant aims to remain mum about the news.
“Mr. Braun was arrested in Nassau County in connection with an alleged domestic disturbance,” his attorney, Marc Fernich told Law&Crime. “He was released on his own recognizance after pleading not guilty and will address the allegations judicially.
Braun was arraigned on Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to each of the counts against him, court records show. The judge in the case issued protection orders for the alleged victims, according to CNBC.
He is next slated to appear in court on Aug. 29 for the assault charges and then again on Sept. 19 for the larceny charge.
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