Aleph Institute Played Significant Role in Trump Pardons
A Jewish non-profit organization focusing on prisoners’ rights played a significant role in President Donald Trump’s pardons and commutations, including those announced this week, according to a report by the New York Times.
The Aleph Institute, a non-profit affiliated with the Chabad Lubavitch Hasidic movement, pushed for at least five of Trump’s 24 presidential pardons, including three announced on Tuesday.
In a statement released by the White House on Wednesday, Aleph was explicitly mentioned when announcing the commutation given to Daniela Gozes-Wagner, a single mother who was sentenced to 20 years in 2017 for health-care fraud.
The New York Times reported that Aleph also pushed for clemency for Philip Esformes, once dubbed “the king of Medicaid fraud,” who was charged in a $1.4bn fraud case.
According to the newspaper, after his indictment in 2016, Esformes’ family donated $65,000 to the institute over a period of a few years.
Read More at Middle East Eye
