Lawrence man back to prison after 2021 Trump commutation

"Braun was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison by District Court Judge Kiyo Matsumoto in 2021 for failing to adhere to the terms of his supervised release. He will only serve 20 of those months as he has been detained in Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center since this spring. Despite the commutation, the terms of his supervised release included strict behavioral guidelines and a fine of $100,000, both of which Braun violated according to federal prosecutors."

"Braun has been the subject of numerous civil suits claiming that he made more than a dozen high-interest loans to small businesses, in violation of 2023 court orders from Judge Jed Rakoff, which barred money lending. Plaintiffs alleged Braun was providing loans with interest rates "as high as 500%, hiding his involvement through shell companies run by his cousin and other court associates," according to published reports."

"Matsumoto ruled Braun must serve almost two years for a series of misdemeanor and felony charges, including sexually assaulting his live-in nanny and threatening both an ER nurse and a congregation member of his synagogue, according to The New York Times. Braun was also accused of dodging tolls on the Atlantic Beach Bridge at least 40 times in his Lamborghini and Ferrari without license plates, the assault of a three-year-old, and the alleged assaults of his wife and his 75-year-old father-in-law, reported Newsday."

Jonathan Braun, who pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and money laundering in 2011, was resentenced after violating supervised-release terms following a commutation. He had been released after a presidential commutation but faced strict supervised-release conditions, including a $100,000 fine, which prosecutors say he violated. Judge Kiyo Matsumoto ordered Braun to serve almost two years for misdemeanor and felony charges, including sexual assault of his live-in nanny and threats against an ER nurse and synagogue member. Braun faces additional allegations including toll evasion, assaults on family members and a child, and civil suits over high-interest loans. Prosecutors sought five years; defense cited mental health and drug issues.

Read at LI Press