The founder and CEO of a Las Vegas-based prisoner reentry program who was pardoned by President Trump in 2020 has been arrested for "sexually based crimes," police said Tuesday. Jon Donyae Ponder, a three-time felon who led Hope for Prisoners, was arrested for sexual assault-related charges, Las Vegas police said in a statement. "Detectives believe there may be additional victims in the community," police said.
Ponder, who appeared alongside Trump at the 2020 Republican National Convention, was later booked into the Clark County Detention Center on one count of sexual assault, seven counts of unauthorized custodial contact, one count of attempted coercion and 11 gross misdemeanor charges, police said. Ponder, 60, remains in custody early Wednesday ahead of his initial court appearance on Thursday, Clark County records show. It's unclear if he's hired an attorney who can speak on his behalf.
Ponder launched the Hope for Prisoners reentry organization following his release from prison in 2009 after serving 63 months for a string of bank robberies. "Hope for Prisoners assists with reentry by providing the formerly incarcerated long-term support and services as they work to reclaim their lives, families and standing in the community," the organization's site reads. Hope changes lives." Following his release from prison, Ponder experienced "firsthand the same challenge most face," according to Hope for Prisoners reps.
"He realized there was a lack of long-term support and guidance for those who learned from their mistakes and had a genuine desire to change the direction of their lives," the site continues. The White House and Hope for Prisoners did not immediately return Newsweek's requests for comment on Ponder's arrest early Wednesday. In 2020, Trump first hinted at a possible pardon for Ponder while speaking at a Hope for Prisoners graduation ceremony in Nevada.
"We are giving him absolute consideration, and I have a feeling he is going to get the full pardon," Trump said of Ponder on February 20, 2020. Trump later granted Ponder a full and unconditional pardon on August 25, 2020, saying that "each person is made by God for a purpose" during a ceremony alongside his wife, Jamie Ponder. "I will continue to give all Americans including former inmates, the best chance to build a new life and achieve their own American dream and a great American dream," Trump said.
Ponder, meanwhile, praised Las Vegas police for the "tremendous impact" officers make while volunteering to help reintegrate formerly incarcerated people into neighborhoods. "These are the real-life heroes who put their lives on the line, every day, armed with the promise that they made to protect and to serve," Ponder said. Ponder has been barred from Nevada Department of Corrections properties since April amid an investigation that he acted inappropriately toward a female inmate, KLAS reported.
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