Trump Pardon Recipient's Lobbyist Now Faces Extortion Charges for Threatening Former Client

The Pardon Pipeline Turns Violent

Joshua Nass built a business getting people out of federal prison through presidential pardons. Now prosecutors say he hired muscle to collect on those services when clients wouldn't pay up.

Nass, founder of lobbying firm Merkava Strategies, was arrested March 13 on charges of extortion and witness tampering. According to an FBI complaint, he hired someone with a racketeering conviction to threaten and assault a former client and the client's son over $500,000 in unpaid lobbying fees.

Court papers don't name the client. But two sources familiar with the matter identified him as Joseph Schwartz, a nursing home owner who received a Trump pardon in November 2025 after serving just three months of a three-year sentence for a $38 million tax fraud scheme.

Congressional lobbying records tell the story. Nass registered to represent Schwartz on November 13, 2025, specifically for "petitioning for a pardon/clemency." The next day, Trump pardoned Schwartz. Nass collected $100,000 for the work in the fourth quarter of 2025.

But according to prosecutors, Nass wanted more. Much more.

Pay Up or Face Consequences

In December 2025, Schwartz's son agreed to pay Nass $100,000 toward a $600,000 contract for lobbying services, prosecutors say. That wasn't enough for Nass.

The following month, according to the FBI complaint, Nass hired someone previously convicted of racketeering to intimidate Schwartz and his son into paying the full amount. The complaint describes threats and assaults designed to terrorize the family into compliance.

This is the pardon business laid bare. Not a careful review of justice or mercy, but a transactional system where access to presidential clemency comes with a price tag and enforcers to collect it.

The Trump Pardon Machine

Schwartz pleaded guilty in New Jersey federal court in November 2024 to orchestrating a $38 million tax fraud scheme through his nursing home operations. He began serving his three-year sentence at a federal prison in Otisville, New York.

Three months later, he walked free with a presidential pardon.

Trump has made far earlier and more frequent use of clemency power than any of his predecessors. While presidents historically grant pardons toward the end of their terms after extensive Justice Department review, Trump has treated the pardon power as a personal prerogative, often benefiting allies, donors, and those with the right connections.

The Constitution gives presidents unchecked power to grant clemency for federal crimes. There is no review process, no appeal, no oversight. If you can get the president's attention and approval, you can erase a federal conviction.

That creates a market. And where there's a market, there are middlemen like Nass charging six figures to work it.

Plea Talks Underway

Nass has not entered a plea. His lawyers filed a motion Monday night asking Brooklyn-based U.S. Magistrate Judge James Cho to extend the deadline for prosecutors to secure an indictment from April 13 to April 27.

"This additional time is necessary to afford the parties time to confer regarding a potential resolution of the case," the filing states. Prosecutors consented to the extension.

Translation: Nass is trying to cut a deal to avoid the same fate as his clients, trading information or cooperation for leniency.

His lawyers declined to comment. The Brooklyn U.S. Attorney's office also declined to comment. Schwartz's attorney Kevin Marino said nothing.

The Corruption Ecosystem

This case exposes how Trump's pardon spree has created an entire ecosystem of corruption. Lobbyists market access to clemency. Wealthy criminals hire them. Money changes hands. Pardons get issued. And when clients don't pay, the system turns violent.

Nass isn't the first Trump pardon broker to face scrutiny. But he may be the first accused of hiring enforcers to collect on the service.

The pardon power exists as a constitutional safety valve, a final check against injustice in the legal system. Trump has turned it into a commodity, bought and sold by those with enough money to hire the right lobbyist.

And when the bill comes due, apparently some lobbyists don't take no for an answer.

Schwartz is free. Nass is negotiating with prosecutors. And the pardon pipeline keeps running, turning presidential mercy into a protection racket for anyone who can afford the fee and survive the collection process.