Drug dealer whose sentence was commuted by Trump is charged with violating his release
Jonathan Braun was charged Friday with violating the terms of his supervised release and ordered detained in Brooklyn federal court, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York’s office.
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A convicted New York drug dealer whose 10-year federal prison sentence was commuted by President Donald Trump is back in custody after he was accused of several crimes, including assaulting a toddler.
Jonathan Braun was charged Friday with violating the terms of his supervised release and ordered detained in Brooklyn federal court, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York’s office.
The 41-year-old Long Island resident was arrested at a hotel Friday morning. Judge Kiyo Matsumoto deemed him a danger to the community.
Braun is charged with seven violations of his release stemming from multiple arrests over the past seven months, said John Marzulli, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s office.
He said Braun has been charged with assault of an elderly man; assault of his wife; groping his nanny’s breast without her permission; assault of a 3-year-old child; menacing a hospital staffer; and toll evasion.
Braun pleaded not guilty and is due back in Brooklyn court on April 10.
His public defender didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment. If convicted, Braun faces up to five years in prison.
Braun pleaded guilty to drug-related charges and was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison in 2019.
He served roughly a year behind bars before Trump commuted his sentence in the final days of his first term in January 2021. The Republican granted Braun — and many others — clemency without explanation.
Harrison Fields, a White House spokesperson, said Trump “stands by” his decision.
“There is always a risk in granting pardons, and it’s unfortunate when this privilege is abused,” he said.
Braun had been a high-ranking member of an international group that smuggled more than 100,000 kilograms (220,460 pounds) of marijuana from Canada into the United States, federal prosecutors said at the time.
The drugs were transported mostly through Native American reservations along the border in vehicles with secret compartments. They were then delivered to stash houses in New York City before being distributed by street-level dealers throughout the metropolitan area, according to prosecutors.
In one of the criminal cases that prompted Friday’s arrest, prosecutors say Braun fought with a guest during a March 29 event observing the Sabbath at his home in Lawrence, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of Manhattan.
Braun punched the man in the face, shoved him to the ground, then pushed his 3-year-old son to the ground, leaving a red mark on the child’s back, according to a complaint filed in Nassau County court.
He has been charged with two counts of assault and one count of endangering the welfare of a child.
Braun also faces two counts of menacing. Prosecutors say he argued with a staffer at a hospital in January and swung an IV pole at her. In March, he threatened a man who asked him to be quiet during a synagogue service.
“Do you know who I am or what I can do to you?” Braun said, grabbing the man’s arm, according to the complaint.
Last August, Braun’s wife told police he threw her to the floor and punched her in the head multiple times. She also said he had assaulted her and her father during other recent altercations.
In a case last summer, police said Braun evaded bridge tolls at least 40 times, accruing $160 in unpaid fees because his Lamborghini and Ferrari sports cars didn’t have license plates, court records show.
Braun’s legal troubles don’t end there. The Federal Trade Commission sued him and won a $20 million judgment last year.
The FTC said Braun ran a loan company that illegally withdrew money from customers’ accounts and sometimes threatened physical violence to get them to pay.
