Startup CEO Charlie Javice is reportedly angling for a Trump pardon
TechCrunch • • business
Key Points:
- Charlie Javice, founder of Frank and convicted for fraud, is reportedly seeking a presidential pardon by quietly engaging with contacts close to the Trump administration, though her name has not appeared on the Justice Department’s formal clemency request list.
- The Trump administration is considering granting around 250 pardons this summer for America’s 250th birthday, with a surge in clemency requests from white-collar defendants, including Sam Bankman-Fried.
- Javice was convicted last September for fabricating millions of customer accounts to inflate Frank’s value before selling it to JPMorgan for $175 million; she is serving a sentence of over seven years and is appealing the verdict.
- JPMorgan faces additional scrutiny due to its contentious relationship with Trump, having closed accounts linked to him and his businesses after the January 6 Capitol riot, leading to a $5 billion lawsuit from Trump alleging political “debanking.”
- Javice has influential supporters such as Apollo’s Marc Rowan, an early Frank investor who testified on her behalf and has made significant donations to Trump’s campaigns and Republican congressional groups.
