WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — President Donald Trump pardoned Venezuelan-Italian banker Julio Herrera Velutini on Jan. 15, 2026, two weeks after former Trump lawyer Alina Habba began working for Concord Partners, a company founded by Herrera Velutini’s daughter. The company’s contract guaranteed Habba more than $50 million over four years. Habba and the White House said she played no role in the pardon.
Isabela Herrera registered Concord Partners in Florida in October 2025. The company hired Habba as general counsel under a contract offering $10 million annually for four years, plus bonuses. Habba signed the agreement days after the company registered, while serving as acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey. She began work at Concord on Jan. 1, 2026, while also serving as a senior adviser to Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Habba said she disclosed the outside employment to the Justice Department and received approval. The department said she did not discuss clemency with anyone there. A White House official said Habba had no role in the decision and that the administration followed its review process.
Federal prosecutors indicted Herrera Velutini in 2022 on conspiracy, bribery and honest-services wire-fraud charges. They alleged he helped arrange campaign support for then-Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez in exchange for her removing a financial regulator who was examining his bank.
In August 2025, Herrera Velutini pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor campaign-finance offense under an agreement that dropped the felony charges. Vázquez and former FBI agent Mark Rossini also pleaded guilty to misdemeanors. Trump pardoned all three shortly before their scheduled sentencings. The Justice Department records Herrera Velutini’s pardon on Jan. 15 and an amendment covering the misdemeanor offense on Jan. 20.
Isabela Herrera donated a total of $3.5 million to MAGA Inc., a pro-Trump super PAC, in two contributions. The Campaign Legal Center later filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission alleging she acted as a “straw donor” for her father. The filing presents the group’s allegation, not a finding by the commission. The White House said the donations did not affect the pardons.
People familiar with Habba’s contract told the Times they believed the family hired her partly to assist with the pardon effort. Habba denied that account. The public reporting establishes the timeline and the parties’ statements but does not establish that Habba intervened or that the contract or donations influenced Trump’s decision.
