President Donald Trump commuted the sentence of Jason Galanis, an imprisoned former Hunter Biden business partner.
The Biden administration's Department of Justice in September 2020 sentenced Galanis to nearly 16 years in prison for his participation in multiple fraudulent schemes.
Trump on Friday signed an executive grant of clemency document empowering Attorney General Pam Bondi to follow through on the commutation of Galanis' sentence.
The document also designated Federal Bureau of Prisons acting Director William Lothrop to see that Galanis was immediately released.
Galanis is a former business partner of Hunter Biden's who, along with Devon Archer, was involved in building the Burnham firm. Both Archer and Galanis were convicted in a tribal bonds fraud scheme, with Galanis being sentenced to 189 months in prison.
Archer emerged as a key witness into the House impeachment inquiry into former President Joe Biden and served as a whistleblower who testified about the Bidens' alleged influence peddling.
Trump pardoned Archer on Tuesday.
"He's getting a full pardon," Trump told the New York Post on March 23. "He was screwed by the Bidens. They destroyed him like they tried to destroy a lot of people."
Galanis alleged retaliation about his testimony regarding first son Hunter Biden's business dealings.
In March, Galanis testified before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, which was probing President Biden's influence peddling through his son's business ventures.
"Our goal – that is, Hunter Biden, Devon Archer, and me – was to make billions, not millions," Galanis said in his opening statement.
Also Friday, the White House announced that Trump commuted Ozy Media founder Carlos Watson's nearly 10-year prison sentence for defrauding investors in his now-defunct startup.
Watson, a former cable news anchor and investment banker, was found guilty last year of lying to investors about the news and entertainment company's finances and sham deals with Google and Oprah Winfrey.
Watson, who pleaded not guilty, was sentenced to 116 months in prison by a federal court in Brooklyn in December.
Reuters contributed to this story.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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