Trump Pardons 6 People With Ties To California

CALIFORNIA — President Donald Trump issued a flurry of pardons and commuted sentences in the final hours of his presidency, including at least six with California ties.

Trump granted pardons to 73 people and commuted the sentences of another 70 as one of his final acts before leaving office Wednesday.

Notably, he did not pardon himself or any members of his family or former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, his personal attorney.

Trump pardoned the following people with ties to the Golden State:

1. Elliott Broidy

Republican National Committee Deputy Finance Chairman, Broidy was one of Trump's top fundraisers for his campaign trail in 2016. The California businessman pleaded guilty in October to acting as an unregistered foreign agent as part of a campaign to influence Trump's campaign on behalf of a fugitive Malaysian financier. Republican California congressmen Devin Nunes and Ken Calvert reportedly backed his pardon, according to The White House.

2. Dr. Faustino Bernadett

The former owner of Long Beach Pacific Hospital, Bernadett was sentenced last January 17 to 15 months in federal prison for taking part in a long-running health care fraud scheme. Bernadett reportedly authorized "sham" contracts that concealed more than $30 million in illegal kickback payments to physicians who steered spinal surgeries to his hospital. His overall scheme garnered more than $900 million in fraudulent bills submitted, mostly to California's worker compensation system, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

3. Randall "Duke" Cunningham

A former San Diego Republican Congressman, Cunningham was given a conditional pardon. He was sentenced in 2006 to eight years and four months in prison for reportedly accepting $2.4 million in bribes from military contractors in exchange for government contracts.

4. Robert "Bob" Zangrillo

The Miami-based real estate developer was granted a full pardon for his role in the "Varsity Blues" investigation, a high-profile college admissions fraud scandal at USC. Zangrillo worked with Newport Beach consultant Rick Singer to get his daughter admitted to USC as a fake rowing recruit.

5. Anthony Levandowski

The former Google and Uber engineer received a pardon from Trump after pleading guilty to stealing trade secrets about driverless cars from Google. He faced 18 months in prison.

“Mr. Levandowski is an American entrepreneur who led Google’s efforts to create self-driving technology,” said a statement from the White House, according to Berkleyside. “Mr. Levandowski pled guilty to a single criminal count arising from civil litigation. Notably, his sentencing judge called him a ‘brilliant, groundbreaking engineer that our country needs.’ Mr. Levandowski has paid a significant price for his actions and plans to devote his talents to advance the public good.”

6. Greg Reyes

Trump granted Reyes, former CEO of San Jose-based Brocade Communications, a full pardon. Reyes was reportedly the first person to have been convicted for fraudulent backdating of corporate stock options, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Among the others who received a last-minute pardon or commutation from Trump was Steve Bannon, his former chief strategist. Bannon was charged last August, accused of duping thousands of donors who believed their money would be used to help fulfill Trump’s chief campaign promise to build a wall along the nation’s southern border.

Bannon was accused of diverting more than $1 million to pay a salary to a campaign official and personal expenses for himself, according to The Associated Press. His co-defendants in the case were not pardoned.

The Bannon pardon was especially notable in that the prosecution was still in its early stages and a trial was likely months away, The AP reported. The pardon will now nullify the prosecution and eliminate any possibility of punishment.

“Mr. Bannon has been an important leader in the conservative movement and is known for his political acumen,” the White House wrote in a news release announcing his full pardon.

Rap performers, ex-members of Congress and other allies of the Trump family were among the others who received a pardon during the final 24 hours of the Trump presidency.

Rapper Lil Wayne was among them. Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., the rapper’s real name, received a full pardon for his conviction for possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon more than 10 years ago, the White House said.

“Mr. Carter has exhibited this generosity through commitment to a variety of charities, including donations to research hospitals and a host of food banks,” the statement said.

Kodak Black, another rapper who was convicted of weapons charges in Florida, also received a pardon from Trump.

Former lawmakers pardoned include former Rep. Rick Renzi, an Arizona Republican who was convicted on charges of corruption and money laundering; and former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham of California, who was convicted of accepting bribes from defense contractors.

Trump commuted the prison sentence of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who has served seven years in prison for a racketeering and bribery scheme.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.