Trump Pardons Leave Crime Victims $119 Million Short in Restitution

WHO:

CBS News - The investigation names Thomas Franco, a partner at New York private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, as an investor in Carlos Watson’s Ozy Media startup.

CBS News - People and organizations described as losing restitution include small family food businesses, community banks, Mars Wrigley, the IRS, actor Terry Crews, and a trust bearing baseball star Alex Rodriguez’s name.

CBS News - At least 18 clemency recipients whose fines or restitution were canceled had White House connections, according to records reviewed by CBS News.

CBS News - Other named recipients or affected parties include Andres and Adriana Camberos, Todd and Julie Chrisley, Joseph Schwartz, Trevor Milton, Jason Galanis, Devon Archer, and David Gentile.

Drudge Report - Its headline says crime victims lost out on $119 million in restitution in Trump’s pardon economy.

WHAT:

CBS News - A CBS News investigation found that Trump’s clemency orders erased at least $119 million in unpaid restitution. The article gives the total as $119.4 million.

CBS News - The investigation reviewed court judgments in more than 160 clemency orders and excluded more than 1,500 blanket pardons and commutations tied to the 2020 election and the Capitol riot.

CBS News - Biden’s clemency orders erased $14,000 in restitution during his four years in office, according to Justice Department records.

CBS News - The article says Trump’s clemency affected more than $1 billion in federal fines and restitution: $119.4 million in ordered restitution, $119.9 million in fines, about $665.8 million in requested restitution canceled before court rulings, and about $170.9 million jointly owed with non-clemency recipients.

CBS News - The largest single ordered restitution amount erased was almost $49 million owed by the Camberos siblings to 19 companies, including $22 million to Mars Wrigley and $17,800 to True Made Foods.

CBS News - Watson was ordered to repay investors almost $37 million; his sentence was commuted and the restitution was wiped away.

CBS News - The Chrisleys owed $17 million to victims of a scheme involving more than $36 million in loans. Schwartz’s $5 million restitution and $100,000 fine were refunded after his pardon; Gentile was released from prison after serving 12 days of a seven-year sentence.

CBS News - Prosecutors sought $660.8 million from Milton, but a judge did not rule before his pardon. The article says this amount is excluded from ordered restitution totals.

WHERE:

CBS News - The Ozy Media fraud case was tried in Brooklyn; Franco worked at a New York private equity firm.

CBS News - The article identifies affected locations and institutions including South Dakota, the Omaha Public Schools pension fund, Atlanta-area community banks, and the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.

WHEN:

CBS News - The article states that the clemency review covered orders issued from January 2025 through October 2026.

CBS News - Watson was convicted in July 2024 and received a commutation before his scheduled prison report in March 2025.

CBS News - Trump pardoned Milton in March 2025, Schwartz in November 2025, Gentile in November 2025, and the Camberos siblings in January 2026.

WHY:

CBS News - The White House said Watson’s sentence and financial penalties were “egregious”; it described the Camberos prosecution as political and Schwartz’s sentence as exceptionally harmful.

CBS News - The article says unlike fines, which go to a federal fund, restitution goes directly to victims; clemency ends government collection of restitution.

HOW:

CBS News - Restitution can be collected for 20 years after a defendant’s release through wage deductions, property liens, or tax-refund seizures; victims may still sue civilly, but those lawsuits can be costly and slow.

CBS News - About 70% of Trump’s second-term clemency actions bypassed the Justice Department pardon office, rising to 92% when Jan. 6 cases were included.

(UPDATED October 27, 2026 15:07 UTC)

Trump’s clemency orders erased at least $119.4 million in court-ordered restitution owed to victims, according to a CBS News investigation that reviewed more than 160 orders. The affected included small family businesses, community banks, Mars Wrigley, the IRS, actor Terry Crews and a trust bearing Alex Rodriguez’s name; at least 18 people whose fines or restitution were canceled had White House connections. Among the largest cases, the Camberos siblings’ nearly $49 million debt to 19 companies was wiped away, while Carlos Watson’s commutation erased almost $37 million owed to Ozy Media investors, and the White House defended some of the clemency decisions as addressing unfair prosecutions or excessive sentences.