On Wednesday afternoon, President Donald Trump granted a full pardon to former U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm, a Republican who represented Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn from 2011 to 2015. Grimm resigned from Congress in January 2015 after pleading guilty to felony tax fraud for underreporting revenue from his Manhattan restaurant, Healthalicious.
Spectrum News NY1 reports:
He served seven months in prison, one month of house arrest, and 200 hours of community service.
Grimm admitted to, among other things, concealing $900,000 in gross receipts from a Manhattan restaurant he was a member of called Healthalicious. An accountant then used the false information to file false federal and state tax returns for the restaurant.
Trump on Wednesday also pardoned James and Marlene Kernan, an Oriskany, New York couple that pleaded guilty in 2009 to willfully employing a three-time convicted felon at their businesses. Both were sentenced to probation.
The pardon restores Grimm’s civil rights and legal status, effectively absolving him of his prior conviction. This clemency is part of a broader series of pardons issued by President Trump during his second term, reflecting his ongoing use of executive clemency powers.
Grimm, a former FBI agent and U.S. Marine, attempted a political comeback in 2018 but was unsuccessful. In 2024, he suffered a severe injury after falling off a horse during a polo match, resulting in paralysis from the chest down. A fundraiser to support his rehabilitation raised more than $250,000 within two days, drawing support from across the political spectrum.
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