Overview

• On May 28, 2025, President Trump granted a full pardon to Michael Grimm, the ex-New York congressman convicted of tax fraud and sentenced to eight months in prison.
• He commuted the sentence of Chicago gang leader Larry Hoover, who has been serving a life term for murder and racketeering.
• Grimm was convicted in November 2014 for underreporting restaurant revenue and filing false tax documents before resigning from Congress in January 2015.
• The clemency actions bypassed the Justice Department’s customary review process, marking a continuation of Trump’s expansive use of pardon and commutation powers in his second term.
• Critics warn that granting clemency to individuals with political or personal ties risks politicizing the executive pardon power.