Venezuelan family scored a Trump pardon after giving $50M job to his ex-attorney Alina Habba: report

Venezuelan family scored a Trump pardon after giving $50M job to his ex-attorney Alina Habba: report Habba, who recently married a Turkish billionaire, denied playing any role in the pardon process - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in A Venezuelan billionaire received a pardon from President Donald Trump after his family hired Alina Habba, Trump’s former attorney, and pledged to pay her millions, according to a new report. Julio Herrera Velutini, a banker, was indicted in 2022 on charges stemming from an alleged scheme to bribe Puerto Rico’s governor. Three years later, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor campaign finance violation as part of a plea deal. Anxious to wipe his record clean, the Herrera family hired Habba, who was then serving as an adviser to the Department of Justice, The New York Times reported Tuesday. The Velutini family proposed paying her $10 million per year for four years plus additional bonuses, making for a total of $50 million. The deal made Habba, 42, general counsel to Concord Partners, a company established by Herrera’s wife in 2025. The firm has no public presence. The agreement was inked while Habba was serving as U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey — before she resigned in December 2025 after judges ruled her appointment had been unlawful. Her first day on the job at Concord Partners was in January. Later that month, Trump issued Herrera an unconditional pardon. Sources with knowledge of Habba’s contract suggested she was hired to help secure the pardon, the Times reported. A cottage industry of clemency lobbying has reportedly emerged during Trump’s second term, with lobbyists saying the going rate to advocate for a pardon is $1 million, The Wall Street Journal reported last year. Habba, who recently married 29-year-old Turkish billionaire Turhan Mildon, denied that she played any role in obtaining the presidential pardon. “Any insinuation that my employment — all of which has been vetted and disclosed to the D.O.J. — had anything to do with securing a pardon is false,” she told the Times. The newspaper noted that, while employed by Concord Partners, Habba was a special government employee, a status that permits individuals to continue outside work with certain restrictions. An unnamed White House official also told the Times that Habba was not linked to the pardon process. Habba is also involved in an alleged “pay-for-influence” scandal currently under investigation by the White House, Axios reported Monday. She has accused Richard Grenell, the Kennedy Center’s former leader, of misleading her husband into making a multimillion-dollar donation intended for the performing arts center that it never received. Grenell has denied wrongdoing and described the allegation as “absurd.” Trump has reportedly asked White House Counsel Will Scharf to investigate. A record 89 percent of Americans believe that corruption is widespread throughout the U.S. government, according to a September Gallup poll. “D.C. is a corrupt town,” Vice President JD Vance said last week when asked whether he’d seen anything inside the White House that gives him pause. But, he added: “I have not seen a single shred of evidence that [Trump] participates or sanctions in that corruption.” Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments