[By Guancha Observer Network, Wang Yi] On May 27, The New York Times reported that Trump had granted a pardon to a former nursing home executive who had admitted to tax evasion. Just weeks before, his socialite mother had purchased an entry ticket for a fundraising event at Mar-a-Lago for $1 million.

Paul Walzack (Paul Walczak) was charged with 13 counts of tax crimes for failing to pay over $10 million in taxes, sentenced to 18 months in prison, and ordered to pay $4.38 million in restitution. He pleaded guilty in November 2024 and submitted a pardon application around the time of the election. However, although Trump had pardoned other "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) supporters after taking office, Walzack's application was not approved.

Subsequently, Walzack's mother, Elizabeth Fago (Elizabeth Fago), was invited to attend a fundraising dinner at Mar-a-Lago with a participation fee of $1 million, giving her the opportunity for face-to-face communication with Trump. Less than three weeks after she attended the dinner, on April 23, Trump fully and unconditionally pardoned her son, Walzack.

Walzack argued in his initial pardon application that his mother had raised millions of dollars for Trump and other Republicans, and his prosecution seemed more like a political action related to his mother's political stance. Rolling Stone magazine reported that Fago hosted at least three fundraising events for Trump's campaign, attended Trump's 2017 and 2025 inauguration activities, and participated in the 2020 action to publicly disclose the drug addiction diary of President Biden's daughter.

A White House official responded to The New York Times, stating that Walzack was targeted by the Biden administration due to his family's conservative political stance.

Paul Walzack in 2011, U.S. media

The judge said during sentencing that "the rich do not have immunity from imprisonment," but Trump's pardon proved otherwise. Just as Biden pardoned his son Hunter Biden before leaving office, the presidential pardon power seems more like a reward given by presidents to their own people and punishment to their enemies.

Reportedly, the 55-year-old Walzack dropped out of college and joined his mother's nursing home business, eventually becoming the CEO. After his mother sold the company in 2007, they invested $18 million to establish a new nursing home in Florida.

The prosecution claimed that Walzack stopped paying employment taxes since 2011 and withheld over $10 million from the wages of nurses, doctors, and other staff at the nursing homes he operated from 2016 to 2019 under the pretext of paying social security, Medicare, and federal income taxes to maintain his lavish lifestyle. In February 2023, Walzack was charged with 13 counts of tax crimes. On November 15, 2024, he pleaded guilty to two of the charges and agreed to pay compensation. The New York Times reported that by this time, Trump had successfully been re-elected, and this family had reason to believe that the new president might consider pardoning Walzack.

The 74-year-old Fago has fundraised for Trump's campaigns three times. Social media posts show that she and her son Joey Fago (Joey Fago, Walzack's half-brother) and his wife attended VIP events for Trump's 2017 and 2025 inauguration ceremonies, one of which included a photo with Trump.

Fago's photo with Trump, social media

Fago also helped Trump's campaign in other ways. During the 2020 campaign, Ashley Biden (Ashley Biden), President Biden's daughter, moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and left her diaries and other items at her house in Delray Beach, Florida. Aimee Harris, who moved into the house, found Ashley Biden's diaries and asked her old friend and former roommate Robert Kurlander (Robert Kurlander) to help sell them.

Kurlander contacted Fago. Sources told The New York Times that when Fago first learned about the diary, she said she believed it would help Trump win the election.

In September 2020, Kurlander and Harris brought Ashley Biden's diary to a fundraising event where Donald Trump Jr., Trump's son, was present as a guest. At this event, Ashley Biden's diary was shown to Caroline Wren, an advisor responsible for fundraising activities for the Trump campaign.

Afterwards, the diary was made public, and a representative of the Biden family reported to the authorities before the election that several personal items of Ashley Biden were stolen in a burglary, leading the Department of Justice to launch an investigation.

"During the last few weeks of Trump's first term, Fago was one of his many loyal supporters," The New York Times reported. Fago and her family members were invited to participate in the 2020 Election Night activities at the White House. After Trump lost the election, they were again invited to attend a Christmas party at the White House.

After Biden took office, he took action against Fago. He revoked Trump's appointment of Fago as a member of the National Cancer Advisory Board. Fago resisted Biden's revocation and told the board members that Biden had no authority to dismiss her. In 2021, the Department of Justice was investigating Fago's involvement with "obtaining, transporting, transferring, disseminating, or otherwise disposing of Ashley Biden's stolen property."

The New York Times reported that Trump's second victory in the 2024 presidential election gave hope to Fago and Walzack. In January, Fago and her family obtained VIP tickets to attend Trump's victory rally at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. On February 5, Trump's new Department of Justice announced the conclusion of the investigation into the Ashley Biden diary case, and Fago was not charged.

Meanwhile, Walzack's pardon application had been submitted. The application indicated that some members of Trump's team, including Donald Trump Jr., supported his pardon. They believed that Walzack was prosecuted solely because he was the son of a prominent Trump supporter. Walzack's application also cited Biden's justification for pardoning his son Hunter Biden: "because he is my son."

While Walzack and Fago awaited the pardon news, Fago was invited to participate in a fundraising event at Mar-a-Lago with Trump. The invitation stated that this was a private "candlelight dinner" with "very limited seating," allowing each participant who paid $1 million to enter.

The New York Times reported that this amount far exceeded Fago's previous largest documented federal donation—a $100,000 contribution to the Republican National Committee in 2002—and far surpassed her direct donations of over $12,000 to Trump's campaign committee. Two people familiar with the Mar-a-Lago fundraising event said that Fago attended the event, but it is unclear whether she made a donation.

Joey Fago downplayed his mother's connection to the Ashley Biden diary, only telling the newspaper that Trump had pardoned hundreds of people, "I believe there are still many people who can write about it."

According to the U.S. Department of Justice website, during Trump's presidency until May 27, he granted 40 pardons. The White House also announced on the 27th that Trump would pardon Todd and Julie Chrisley, reality TV stars accused of tax evasion and bank fraud.

A White House official responded, stating that Biden's attempt to remove Fago from the National Cancer Advisory Board was the basis for Trump's decision to pardon Fago's son, Walzack, due to Fago's political stance being the reason for his prosecution. Previously, Trump had nominated Fago as a member of the National Cancer Advisory Board, but Biden subsequently revoked Fago's membership.

According to celebratory videos posted on social media, after Walzack was pardoned, he celebrated with his mother and family, wearing a red hat in the style of Trump, with the words "Make Paul (Walzack) Great Again" printed on it.

Social media

This article is an exclusive contribution from the Guancha Observer Network and cannot be reproduced without permission.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7509326172577956402/

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