A drug dealer who had his prison sentence commuted by Donald Trump has been jailed without bail after an alleged assault on a three-year-old child.
Federal prosecutors revealed Jonathan Braun, 41, carried out a horrifying pattern of alleged violence, intimidation, and sexual misconduct.
New Yorker Braun had served two-and-a-half years of his decade-long sentence for running an illegal marijuana cartel when the former president set him free along with 142 others in on January 20, 2021.
At the time, the White House described the commutation as ‘well-deserved,’ with vague references to ‘rehabilitation’ and ‘family support.’
But he now stands accused of violating the terms of his supervised release following a string of recent arrests that federal Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto called ‘erratic,’ ‘violent,’ and deeply alarming.
Among the allegations is that he shoved a three-year-old to the ground during an argument with the child’s father at a Shabbat dinner.
‘There’s the potential someone could really get hurt,’ the judge said at his arraignment in Brooklyn federal court.
‘My concern is there are repeated instances of violence and showing lack of stability.’
Jonathan Braun, 41, who had his prison sentence commuted by Donald Trump has been jailed without bail after an alleged assault on a three-year-old child. He is pictured in 2022
US Marshals finally caught up with Braun at a Long Island hotel on Friday
It was the final day of Trump’s first term when Braun’s name appeared on a controversial list of last-minute clemency recipients.
Convicted for orchestrating a sprawling marijuana smuggling ring, Trump, reportedly lobbied by associates connected to the Kushner family, commuted his sentence.
The move sparked criticism at the time, not only because of Braun’s drug trafficking record, but due to his involvement in high-interest ‘merchant cash advance’ lending schemes.
Braun, who took a photo with Trump at one of his Florida golf courses the following year, ran a predatory finance operation that charged desperate small businesses rates as high as 1,000%.
Braun’s reputation for threats and intimidation followed him into civilian life. Now, his rap sheet is expanding once more.
According to federal prosecutors, Braun’s descent into chaos escalated over the past several months in a series of incidents.
During a Shabbat dinner held at his Nassau County home, Braun allegedly punched a man during an argument, then shoved the man’s three-year-old child to the ground, ‘causing a red mark on his back and substantial pain,’ prosecutors said in court filings.
In a separate incident, Braun allegedly groped his live-in nanny, grabbing her breast while masturbating in her presence, prosecutors said.
He is also accused of threatening a synagogue congregant who asked him to be quiet during prayers. ‘Do you know who I am or what I can do to you?’ he reportedly shouted.
Federal prosecutors revealed Jonathan Braun, 41, carried out a pattern of alleged violence, intimidation, and sexual misconduct
And at a hospital, Braun allegedly assaulted a nurse, further underscoring what prosecutors say is a spiraling pattern of violence.
US Marshals finally caught up with Braun at a Long Island hotel on Friday.
Clad in a beige hooded sweatshirt, Braun walked into Brooklyn’s federal courthouse, flipping off reporters and mocking his court-appointed attorney. He declared he could have represented himself if he wanted to.
‘I could have gone to law school myself, but I chose not to,’ he bragged. ‘I’m very intelligent.’
Judge Matsumoto appeared unmoved by Braun’s swagger, noting his ‘lack of impulse control’ and growing list of alleged victims. ‘People are getting hurt,’ she said. ‘This behavior is escalating.
‘Until today, he has enjoyed the fruits of financial support,’ Judge Matsumoto said during Friday’s hearing. ‘But that stops now.’
Even as Braun was collecting handouts from his parents well into his 40s, authorities say he was racking up arrests and disregarding the terms of his release.
At a Shabbat dinner held at his home, Braun allegedly punched a man during an argument, then shoved the man’s three-year-old child to the ground, is one of several allegations
Last summer, he was busted for removing the license plates from a white Lamborghini and black Ferrari convertible – a tactic to dodge $160 in unpaid EZPass tolls.
On Friday Braun was denied bail and will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance on April 10 when he will have a chance to argue for his release.
Prosecutors are expected to press for additional charges beyond the supervised release violations, and several of the alleged incidents could lead to independent state prosecutions.
While Trump once considered Braun worthy of a second chance as Judge Matsumoto closed Friday’s hearing, she made clear that chance was over.
‘There is a genuine concern here,’ she said. ‘Someone is going to get seriously hurt – or worse.’
