Eliyahu Weinstein, whose 24-year prison sentence was commuted by then-President Donald Trump in 2021, has been arrested again. Shockingly, the Drain, the Swamp fabulist pardoned a Ponzi scheme architect. On Wednesday, Weinstein and four other men were arrested on charges he defrauded investors by making false promises that involve humanitarian supplies destined for war-torn Ukraine.
ABC News reports:
Eliyahu Weinstein and four other men were charged with conspiring to defraud 150 individual investors of more than $35 million and with conspiracy to obstruct justice, according to federal prosecutors in New Jersey.
“This is now the third time this office has charged Weinstein with a large-scale scheme to rip off investors,” U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said during a news conference in Newark on Wednesday.
This time, Weinstein allegedly used a fake name and falsely promised access to deals involving scarce medical supplies, baby formula, and first-aid kits supposedly destined for wartime Ukraine, prosecutors said.
“These were brazen and sophisticated crimes that involved multiple coconspirators that can come from Weinstein’s playbook of fraud,” Sellinger said.
Via the Associated Press:
For those crimes, which resulted in combined losses to investors of approximately $230 million, Weinstein was sentenced to 24 years in prison. On Jan. 19, 2021, the day before leaving office, then-President Trump commuted Weinstein’s term to time served after less than eight years into his sentence.
Shortly after he was released, Weinstein began orchestrating a new scheme to solicit money from investors through a company called Optimus Investments Inc., according to court documents. Using a fake name, he allegedly ran the firm with Bromberg and Wittels, with Weinstein’s true name and identity kept hidden because, as he acknowledged in a secretly recorded conversation, investors wouldn’t give them “a penny” if they learned of his involvement.
The 49-year-old-enough-to-know-better was pardoned by Trump on the now-twice-indicted former President’s last day in office. The five individuals are facing a list of charges, including wire fraud conspiracy and conspiracy to obstruct justice, and each could face up to 25 years in prison.
