1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

I am writing to demand immediate legislative and oversight action to protect crime victims from having court-ordered restitution erased by presidential clemency. When broad presidential pardons extinguish criminal restitution orders, money owed to defrauded retirees, small business owners, and everyday Americans vanishes. House Judiciary analyses estimate recent clemency grants have deprived victims of $1.3 billion in direct restitution, with broader estimates totaling nearly $2 billion when including unpaid fines and Treasury repayments. In at least one case, a pardon warrant explicitly remitted "any and all restitution ordered by the court," erasing a $43.4 million order in a single stroke. Trevor Milton's pardon erased restitution sought for Nikola shareholders at roughly $660 million, while the Chrisleys' clemency canceled over $17 million owed to banks. This is being used as a deliberate tool to extinguish financial accountability. This is not happening in a vacuum. Congressional investigators are probing patterns where large donations to Trump-aligned PACs and campaigns were followed by clemency that eliminated massive financial liabilities. Milton donated over $1.8 million before his March 2025 pardon; a Venezuelan-Italian banker's family donated $3.5 million to a pro-Trump PAC before his January 2026 pardon; and lobbying payments from clemency-seekers have surged eightfold. The appearance alone undermines public confidence in equal justice under law. The Supreme Court's unanimous January 2026 ruling in Ellingburg v. United States confirmed that restitution under the Mandatory Victims Restitution Act is penal punishment, limiting simple statutory "civil reclassification". That makes the below actions that Congress can take even more urgent: 1. ENFORCE TRANSPARENCY: Cosponsor and pass S. 256, the Pardon Transparency and Accountability Act, requiring public statements of reasons for clemency grants, rapid 2-day lobbyist disclosure, and mandatory Pardon Attorney Justice Impact Statements incorporating victim input. 2. RESTORE CLEMENCY STANDARDS: Use congressional oversight and appropriations riders to direct the Department of Justice to restore and enforce standards requiring clemency applicants to satisfy victim restitution or maintain binding payment plans prior to relief. 3. FUND VICTIM RELIEF & DEMAND AGENCY ACCOUNTABILITY: Fully fund and expand the Crime Victims Fund (VOCA) to serve as a financial backstop when clemency eliminates restitution, and mandate immediate congressional reporting whenever regulatory bodies (SEC/CFTC) drop or pause victim fund recovery actions. Pardons must not come at the expense of innocent victims. I urge you to support S. 256 and use every available tool to protect fraud victims and hold the executive branch accountable.