US President Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump has issued a series of clemency grants, including pardons and commutations, extending relief to individuals convicted of fraud, political corruption, and drug offenses.

Among those pardoned, whose clemency grants were issued on Thursday and Friday, was Adriana Camberos, a convicted fraudster whom Trump had already freed once before by commuting her sentence in 2021.

Camberos had been serving a 26-month prison sentence for her role in a scheme involving counterfeit "5-Hour Energy" drinks when Trump commuted her sentence during the final days of his first term. Prosecutors later said she returned to criminal activity after her release.

In 2024, she and her brother, Andres Camberos, were convicted in an unrelated fraud case involving consumer goods and bank and mail fraud. Adriana Camberos had begun serving a new prison sentence when Trump pardoned both siblings this week, marking her second grant of clemency from him.

The Camberos pardons were part of a broader set of clemency actions issued quietly.

Other recipients included a Venezuelan-Italian banker, a former governor of Puerto Rico, and a former FBI agent, all of whom had pleaded guilty in a political corruption case, as well as several finance executives convicted of white-collar crimes.

Julio Herrera Velutini had pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor campaign finance charge, along with former Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez and Mark Rossini, a former FBI agent, who worked as a consultant for Herrera. All three had been scheduled to be sentenced later this month. In late 2024, Herrera`s daughter donated millions of dollars to MAGA Inc., also called Make America Great Again Inc., an American super PAC (political action committee) that supports Trump.

The White House denied that the donations had played any role in the pardons, saying instead that the clemency was based on the merits of the cases and a belief that the prosecutions were politically motivated.

The pardons were supported by individuals with close ties to Trump`s circle, including lawyers who have previously represented him.

A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the president used his clemency power to correct what the administration views as "excessive or unfair prosecutions."

Trump also pardoned Terren S. Peizer, a former business executive convicted of insider trading in 2024 and sentenced to more than three years in prison, as well as David Levy, a former hedge fund executive convicted in 2019 of defrauding bondholders. Lawyers for both men said their cases involved government overreach.

In addition to the pardons, Trump signed eight commutations, primarily for people convicted of drug offenses.

Those included James P. Womack, who had pleaded guilty to distributing methamphetamine and is the son of Rep. Steve Womack, an Arkansas Republican.

Another commutation went to Jacob Deutsch, who had been sentenced in 2024 for mortgage fraud.

The latest clemency spree continues Trump`s pattern of using the president`s broad constitutional authority to grant relief to allies, donors, and individuals backed by figures close to him.

The approach differs from Justice Department guidelines, which traditionally emphasize clemency for those who have completed their sentences or demonstrated rehabilitation.