US EditionA pardon lobbyist, $500,000 demand and alleged ‘enforcer’ lead to extortion charge in New York
Joshua Nass allegedly hired an enforcer to threaten the family of a Trump-pardoned client over a $500,000 debt, prosecutors said.
- On Friday, FBI agents arrested lawyer Joshua Nass in Manhattan, charging him with attempted Hobbs Act extortion for allegedly hiring an enforcer to threaten a former client and his son over a claimed $500,000 debt.
- The alleged scheme began in January after Nass claimed a former client owed him $500,000 for lobbying services, though he had previously received $100,000 to seek clemency for Joseph Schwartz, who was pardoned by President Donald Trump.
- Federal authorities allege Nass paid an enforcer $3,000 in cash to intimidate the victims. Investigators say the pair discussed forcing the son into a car with masked men and threatening him to compel payment.
- Appearing before United States Magistrate Judge Clay H. Kaminsky on Saturday, Nass was released on $5 million bond. If convicted, the attorney faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
- FBI Assistant Director James Barnacle stated the bureau prioritizes "crushing violent crimes offenses and extortion schemes." The case signals continued federal scrutiny of attorneys abusing their position of trust with high-profile clients.
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Associated Press News
A pardon lobbyist, $500,000 demand and alleged 'enforcer' lead to extortion charge in New York
Federal prosecutors in New York have accused a lobbyist of trying to extort a former client and the client’s son for $500,000.
New York lawyer linked to Trump pardon charged with attempted extortion
Joshua Nass, of alleged $600,000 extortion plot, played role in pardon of man convicted of failing to pay $40m in taxes A New York lobbyist and attorney connected to a presidential pardon issued by Donald Trump in November has been charged with attempting to extort a former client and the client’s…
FBI: Lawyer Extorted Client Who Got Trump Pardon
The New York Times reports: Josh Nass, a lawyer and lobbyist with connections in President Trump’s orbit, was arrested by F.B.I. agents on Friday afternoon in Manhattan and charged with attempted extortion, according to court papers. Mr. Nass, who has connections in conservative Jewish and evangelical circles, had recently been paid $100,000 to pursue clemency for Joseph Schwartz, who was convicted of tax crimes related to a nursing-home empire t
Lawyer Arrested for Allegedly Extorting Client He Successfully Got a Trump Pardon For
(AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) A lobbyist and lawyer who successfully lobbied President Donald Trump to pardon his client for committing tax crimes, has been charged with trying to extort money from that same client. Josh Nass, 34, was arraigned Saturday in Brooklyn after being taken into custody by FBI agents in Midtown Manhattan on Friday. An associate told The New York Times that Nass had been meeting at a hotel with other clemency seekers when…
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