Donald Trump pardoned a former nursing home executive who admitted tax evasion weeks after his socialite mother attended a fundraiser in Mar-a-lago. The New York Times Report Tuesday.
Paul Walczak, who was convicted of failing to pay more than $10.9 million in taxes to fund his luxury lifestyle, was sentenced to 18 months in prison and ordered to pay $4.4 million in damages last month. He filed a pardon application on the day of the election and pleaded guilty in November 2024. His application was not successful either, even though Trump pardoned other Maga supporters.
Walczak's mother Elizabeth Fago was then invited to hold a "Candle Light" fundraising dinner in Mar-a-Lago. According to the invitation, Trump served as a guest speaker at the event. The event is hosted by Maga Inc., a super PAC that can raise unlimited funds for Trump.
In less than three weeks of dinner, Trump pardoned Volkake.
Walczak noted in his initial pardon application that his mother raised millions of dollars for Trump and other Republicans, believing his prosecution was related to Fago's politics, not to his tax evasion. The application also believes that Donald Trump Jr. era.
Fago, which hosted at least three Trump campaign fundraisers, also participated in VIP events at Trump's inauguration ceremonies in 2017 and 2025. In 2020, Trump attempted to appoint her to the National Cancer Advisory Board. According to prosecutors, her son Walczak seized $10.9 million from the salary of his employee, who is in a nursing home in South Florida, for social security, Medicare and federal income taxes. He used the money to buy $2 million in yachts, travel and shopping in high-end stores.
A White House official told The New York Times Walczak is “politically aligned by a conservative in the Biden Administration”.
Walczak’s pardon is just the latest example of the Trump administration’s deliberations or ending cases for his supporters.
On Monday, Trump pardoned a former magazine sheriff who was convicted of bribery after giving civilian police badges in exchange for thousands of dollars. He also pardoned loyal Las Vegas city councillor loyalist Michele Fiore, who was using funds to commemorate a police officer who had plastic surgery and 1,500 defendants were convicted of wire fraud on January 6 when they attacked the Capitol, including violent offenders.