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★ Government Action

Trump commutes donor Imaad Zuberi's foreign-lobbying sentence

Donor Influence and AccessMAGA Inc. Pay-to-PlayTrump Pardons

Filed May 2025

★ The Brief

What happened

On May 28, 2025, Trump commuted Imaad Zuberi's twelve-year prison sentence and lifted his $1.75 million fine and $15.7 million in restitution; Zuberi had pleaded guilty in 2021 to illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion, obstruction, and acting as an unregistered foreign agent.

Who enabled it

Who benefits

Deal or steal?

One of the offenses Zuberi pleaded guilty to was funneling $900,000 through a shell company into Trump's own 2017 inaugural committee; his criminal-defense lawyer, David Warrington, is now Trump's White House counsel, said to have recused from the clemency decision.

On May 28, 2025, President Donald Trump commuted the sentence of Imaad Zuberi — a Pakistani-American venture capitalist who had been sentenced in February 2021 to twelve years in federal prison, a $1.75 million fine, and $15.7 million in restitution. Zuberi pleaded guilty to violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, tax evasion, foreign and conduit illegal campaign contributions, and obstruction of justice (witness tampering). His political donations spanned both parties: top fundraiser for Obama's 2012 reelection, "Hillblazer" status with Clinton 2016, and — most directly relevant to this commutation — a $900,000 donation routed through a shell company to Trump's 2017 presidential inaugural committee, the conduit gift he later pleaded guilty to.

Actors

Who pushed it · 1

Who initiated, paid, or pushed the action.

  • Donald Trump
    Donald Trump

    Signed Imaad Zuberi's commutation on May 28, 2025, ending his 12-year federal prison sentence and lifting the $1.75 million fine and $15.7 million in restitution; issued an amended single-recipient commutation warrant for the same offenses on October 1, 2025.

Beneficiaries

Who gained · 1

Who stood to gain.

  • Imaad Zuberi

    Received a presidential commutation lifting his 12-year federal sentence, $1.75 million fine, and $15.7 million restitution order. The underlying convictions covered FARA violations, tax evasion, illegal foreign and conduit campaign contributions, and witness tampering. His criminal defense was handled by David Warrington, now Trump's White House counsel (recused from the clemency deliberations per the White House).

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