New York drug dealer whose sentence was commuted by Trump faces domestic violence charges

A New York man whose 10-year federal prison sentence for drug trafficking was commuted to probation by former President Donald Trump in 2021 now faces domestic violence and assault charges.

Jonathan Braun, 41, was arrested on Long Island after allegedly attacking his wife and her 75-year-old father at their Atlantic Beach home, Nassau County police reported.

According to court records, Braun was charged Tuesday with three counts of assault for incidents that occurred July 17 and Aug. 12.

His wife told police that he threw her out of bed on July 17, causing her pain and bruising. Less than a month later, she claimed he threw her to the ground and repeatedly hit her in the head. During one of the arguments, Braun allegedly punched his father-in-law in the face twice as he tried to protect his daughter.

In addition to the assault charges, Braun is also charged with petty theft, allegedly evading $160 in tolls by repeatedly driving his Lamborghini and Ferrari through E-ZPass lanes without license plates and crossing bridges about 40 times without paying.

Braun pleaded not guilty to all charges at his arraignment on Wednesday and was released on his own bail; prosecutors had requested bail of $35,000. However, the judge issued protective orders for the victims.

Arthur Gershfeld, Braun's attorney, said his client would “vigorously defend himself against the charges” when he appears in court on August 29.

Earlier this year, Braun was fined $20 million in a Federal Trade Commission civil case for running a loan sharking business.

In 2019, Braun was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in smuggling over 100,000 kilograms of marijuana from Canada into the United States. His sentence was later commuted to a lighter term by the former president when reports emerged that Braun's family had allegedly leveraged ties to Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and a senior White House aide.

With News Wire Services

Originally published: August 22, 2024 at 21:10