Convicted Trump Media-linked fraudster funded pro-Trump film in hopes of pardon, lawsuit says
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- A Miami investor convicted in a Trump Media insider trading case bankrolled a pro-Trump documentary in hopes that the flattering film would buy him a presidential pardon, a lawsuit alleges.
asserted
lawsuit → convict → pardon
- His failed bid for clemency highlights a booming, high-dollar cottage industry around Trump’s pardon power, where wealthy fraudsters bankroll political projects and influence campaigns in pursuit of freedom.
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fraudsters → fail → freedom
- The lawsuit by a Los Angeles studio claims Michael Shvartsman demanded early repayment, threatened its CEO and grabbed a bigger slice of profits after the film’s Mar-a-Lago premiere.
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Shvartsman → claim → premiere
A Miami investor who pleaded guilty to making insider trades connected to the parent company of Donald Trump’s Truth Social platform helped fund a pro-Trump documentary film in hopes of securing a presidential pardon, according to a lawsuit by an L.A. studio that accuses him of threats and extortion.
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that → plead → threats
Michael Shvartsman pleaded guilty in 2024 to insider trading associated with the Trump Media & Technology Group, which federal prosecutors said netted him $18.2 million in ill-gotten gains.
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prosecutors → plead → gains
Four months later, Shvartsman helped fund the documentary “The Man You Don’t Know” in an effort to obtain a pardon, according to the lawsuit filed last month in Los Angeles.
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You → help → Angeles
The suit, brought by the film’s production company against Shvartsman, alleges that he attended the film’s premiere at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla., as part of his pardon effort.
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he → bring → effort
Shvartsman denies the allegations and he ultimately did not obtain a pardon, though he still has a pardon request pending.
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request → deny → pardon
Dozens of other wealthy convicted individuals have been able to win clemency during Trump’s time in office by spending big bucks on influence campaigns.
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Dozens → convict → campaigns
Many have ponied up millions of dollars to lobbyists and political insiders who have built a cottage industry out of helping monied convicts secure their freedom.
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convicts → ponie → freedom
Some have also made big donations to pro-Trump super PACs.
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Some → make → PACs
That is a major departure from how pardons have been handled in prior administrations, said Frank Bowman, an emeritus law professor at the University of Missouri and author of an upcoming book about the history of pardons in the United States and Britain.
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Bowman → handle → States
“What you have is a sort of pay-to-play scramble for the president’s attention,” Bowman said.
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Bowman → pay → attention
“Most people who have tried to work the inside track haven’t succeeded,” said Mark Osler, a University of St. Thomas law professor who has studied pardons.
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who → try → pardons
At least some of those trying to buy their way to a pardon now are being scammed, he said.
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he → try → pardon
Trump’s pardon czar, Alice Marie Johnson, recently took to social media saying that people have been impersonating her and asking for a “processing fee” to help smooth the path to clemency.
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people → take → clemency
She said that neither she nor her office would ever ask for such a payment.
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she → say → payment
A presidential premiere
The Los Angeles lawsuit against Shvartsman alleges that a company he controls provided a $425,000 loan in August 2024 to help fund the film, a flattering portrait of the president that featured interviews with his sons.
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that → allege → sons
Shvartsman attended the film’s premiere that October at Mar-a-Lago, where he revealed, according to the lawsuit, that he had provided financing for the movie and “was hoping his participation would enable him to get a pardon” when Trump was elected.
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Trump → attend → pardon
The event featured a who’s who of Trump-world insiders, including former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, the late pro wrestler and media personality Hulk Hogan, Eric and Donald Trump Jr., as well as the former and soon-to-be president.
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event → feature → Giuliani
Shvartsman and his associates “arranged meetings” with “contacts and stars” associated with the movie in the hopes of achieving his goal of a pardon, the lawsuit said, though it doesn’t state specifically whom he targeted.
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he → arrange → whom
Days before the event, Shvartsman had been sentenced by a federal judge in New York to two years and four months in prison for insider trading connected to the announcement of a merger that would make Trump Media & Technology Group a publicly traded company.
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Media → sentence → merger
Shvartsman, who is a Canadian citizen, also faced the prospect of deportation after his sentence.
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who → face → sentence
Shvartsman said he “disputes all facts and allegations” in the lawsuit and plans to file a countersuit.
“We are not going to litigate this matter through the press,” he wrote in a message to The Times.
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he → say → Times
“We intend to address the issues through the appropriate legal process, where the relevant facts and documentation can be properly presented and considered.”
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facts → intend → process
Shvartsman went to prison in January 2025, weeks before Trump took office, and was held in federal custody until May 29, 2026, according to Bureau of Prison records.
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Trump → go → records
It isn’t clear whether he remains in the U.S.
Shvartsman has a pending request for a pardon after the completion of his sentence, according to Justice Department records.
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Shvartsman → remain → records
The lawsuit against Shvartsman, brought by Global Ascension Studios and its chief executive, Joshua Macciello, alleges that Shvartsman and his associates demanded immediate repayment of the loan the day after the 2024 Mar-a-Lago event — nine months before it was due — and threatened Macciello’s “physical safety” if the film company didn’t pay immediately or transfer control of the company to Shvartsman.
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company → bring → Shvartsman
The lawsuit alleges that Macciello modified the loan agreement under duress and agreed to give Shvartsman and his company a greater share of the film’s potential proceeds.
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Macciello → allege → proceeds
It isn’t clear whether the loan has yet been repaid.
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loan → repay → ?
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