STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A man with Staten Island ties whose prison sentence was commuted by President Donald Trump has since been arrested four times.
The defendant, Jonathan Braun, 41, formerly of Meiers Corners, was facing a 10-year sentence for cannabis trafficking and predatory lending when Trump granted him clemency in 2021, the Advance/SILive.com previously reported.
Subsequent run-ins with the law include allegations of assaulting a senior, shoving a toddler and groping a nanny, the New York Times reported.
On March 29, Braun was arrested on Long Island on charges he assaulted an acquaintance and the man’s 3-year-old child, court records indicate.
He is accused of punching the man in the face and then shoving the child to the ground, “causing a red mark on his back and substantial pain,” the Times reported.
He’s also accused of grabbing a nanny’s breast and threatening a synagogue attendee who requested he be quiet during a service, the outlet reported.
As Trump’s first term as president was coming to an end, Braun’s family reportedly used a connection to Charles Kushner – whose sonJared Kushner served as a White House adviser in Trump’s first term – to secure the commutation.
Charles Kushner, who was convicted of tax evasion and witness tampering, received a pardon from Trump in December 2020. Trump has since nominated the elder Kushner to be U.S. ambassador to France.
Marc Fernich, who was representing Braun at the time, told the New York Times that Trump had the “courage in correcting what was a grave injustice.”
“Mr. Braun’s 10-year sentence was grossly unreasonable — an extreme statistical outlier — on the facts and circumstances of his case,” Fernich said.
Since taking office for his second term, Trump has granted clemency to about 1,500 people who had been convicted or charged in connection with the 2021 Capitol riot.
He is accused of punching a man in the face, shoving a 3-year-old and groping a nurse, according to reports. Read More
