1. United States
2. Mo.
3. Letter

I write to express grave concern and moral outrage regarding President Donald Trump’s March 2025 pardons and commutations of three high-profile individuals convicted of massive fraud against investors and the U.S. government. By wiping out their restitution obligations, these clemency actions undermine justice and betray taxpayers who ultimately footed the bills. Devon Archer, convicted in 2018 of conspiracy and securities fraud for defrauding the Oglala Sioux Tribe of $60 million in tribal bonds, was ordered to pay over $43 million in restitution before being pardoned on March 25, 2025 Trevor Milton, founder of Nikola, was convicted of securities and wire fraud in late 2023, fined $1 million and ordered to pay $168 million in restitution to defrauded investors; he received a full pardon on March 27–28, 2025, halting repayment entirely. Carlos Watson, co-founder and former CEO of Ozy Media, was convicted in December 2024 for wire fraud, identity theft, and deceiving investors, resulting in a sentence of nearly ten years and $96 million in restitution and forfeiture; his sentence was commuted just hours before reporting to prison on March 28–29, 2025. Together, these pardons eliminated hundreds of millions of dollars in restitution orders. Legal experts estimate that across Trump’s 2025 clemency wave, over $1 billion in debts owed to taxpayers and defrauded victims was erased. This is not justice, it is a deliberate abdication of law enforcement and public accountability. These individuals walked free without paying the financial price of their crimes. Their victims remain uncompensated. Honest taxpayers are left holding the tab. I demand that you publicly condemn these pardons, particularly for Archer, Milton, and Watson, and initiate legislative or oversight action to prevent further abuses of executive clemency. We must seek to restore trust and ensure no president can unilaterally nullify criminal restitution owed to the public. Silence in response is complicity. Thank you for upholding the rule of law.