President Donald Trump’s second-term clemency orders have erased at least $119 million in unpaid restitution owed to crime victims, according to an investigation by CBS News. The review of over 160 clemency orders issued between January 2025 and October 2026 found that these actions also canceled approximately $120 million in fines intended for the federal Crime Victims Fund.
Restitution is a court-ordered financial penalty paid directly to victims to compensate for losses from crimes such as fraud or embezzlement. Unlike fines, which go to government funds, restitution is designed to make victims whole. The $119 million figure excludes cases where restitution was sought by prosecutors but not yet ordered by a judge at the time of the pardon, such as the $660.8 million requested in the case of former Nikola CEO Trevor Milton.
Specific cases identified in court records include the commutation of Ozy Media founder Carlos Watson, which erased nearly $37 million in restitution. Another order for siblings Andres and Adriana Camberos canceled a $49 million debt owed to 19 companies, including Mars Wrigley and small firms like True Made Foods. White House officials described some of these sentences as "egregious" or "politically motivated," stating the president exercises his constitutional authority at his discretion.
The analysis by CBS News found that approximately 70% of Trump’s second-term clemency actions bypassed the Justice Department’s traditional pardon office. At least 18 recipients had ties to the White House, such as being represented by lawyers linked to the administration or having family members who donated to the president's reelection campaign. In one case, nursing home executive Joseph Schwartz recouped $5 million in previously paid restitution after his conviction was vacated following a pardon.
The scale of these pardons also impacts the Crime Victims Fund (CVF), which provides money to domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers, and child abuse treatment programs. The fund relies on corporate fines for deposits; historically, two-thirds of deposits have come from only 90 cases. Organizations in states like Oklahoma have reported up to 80% reductions in funding over the last decade. A single canceled $100 million fine from the crypto exchange BitMEX in March 2025 represents revenue that helps support medical expenses and lost wages for victims served by VOCA-funded organizations.
The concrete day-to-day change for victims is the loss of legal mechanisms used to collect these debts, such as paycheck garnishments, tax refund seizures, or property liens, which are terminated by clemency grants. While victims retain the right to file civil lawsuits, legal experts note these are costly and time-consuming alternatives. Further challenges to asset seizures remain in the courts, including an appeal by Galanis for the return of $2 million in assets that a judge denied in June 2025.