Jonathan Braun, who has had a string of legal issues since President Trump commuted his drug sentence four years ago, was arrested after allegedly punching an acquaintance and shoving a 3-year-old.
Jonathan Braun has repeatedly been in legal trouble since President Trump commuted his federal prison sentence more than four years ago as part of a rushed, last-minute process of granting clemency to allies and well-connected special pleaders before leaving office.
On Saturday, Mr. Braun, a major player in the predatory lending business, was arrested on Long Island on charges of assaulting an acquaintance and his 3-year-old child, according to court documents. It was the fourth time he has been arrested since Mr. Trump freed him.
Mr. Braun punched the man in the face and then shoved the child to the ground, “causing a red mark on his back and substantial pain” to the child’s back, the documents said. Mr. Braun was charged with assault, endangering the welfare of a child and injuring a child under the age of 7.
He was released on bail Monday. Robert Caliendo, a lawyer for Mr. Braun, did not respond to messages seeking comment.
In his final hours in office in early 2021, Mr. Trump commuted Mr. Braun’s 10-year sentence for running a marijuana smuggling ring. Mr. Braun’s family used a connection to Charles Kushner, the father of Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump’s son-in-law who served as a senior White House adviser, to try to get the matter before Mr. Trump. Jared Kushner’s White House office drafted the language used to announce commutations for Mr. Braun and others.
Since then, Mr. Braun returned to predatory lending only to be banned from operating in that business by a New York State judge and a federal judge for engaging in deceptive practices. And he has been accused of a number of crimes: punching his wife and father-in-law in the head; grabbing a nanny’s breast while touching himself; trying to assault a female nurse with poles used to hold intravenous bags; and threatening a synagogue congregant who asked him to be quiet during services.