At least 20 people granted clemency by President Donald Trump have been charged with new crimes, including the founder and CEO of a Las Vegas-based prisoner reentry program. The arrest of Jon Donyae Ponder, 60, by Las Vegas police on Tuesday marks the latest case of recidivism among convicted criminals who were pardoned or granted clemency by Trump, who took direct executive action involving 237 people during his first term and an additional 1,500 Capitol rioters and others following his 2024 reelection. At least 97 of more than 1,500 individuals granted clemency by Trump for their roles in the Capitol riot have been accused of new crimes since January 6, 2021, including 19 whose cases occurred after Trump pardoned those defendants on the first day of his second term on January 20, 2025, according to a study released in June by Lawfare, a nonprofit legal publication.
Ponder, who was pardoned during the 2020 Republican National Convention, appears to be the 20th individual who has been accused of a crime following a pardon by Trump. At least five prior recipients of Trump's favor were "enabled by clemency," meaning the executive action may have actively facilitated criminal conduct, according to Lawfare. Here's a closer look at the 20 individuals who have been charged or sentenced for other crimes following a pardon by Trump: Ponder, a three-time felon who led Hope for Prisoners, a Las Vegas-based prisoner reentry program, was arrested Tuesday for sexual assault-related charges.
He 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 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.
Johnson, a January 6 rioter who was freed by pardon in 2025, was convicted of child molestation in February 2026. He was later sentenced to life in prison. Johnson's criminal conduct occurred both before and after his pardon, Lawfare researchers said.
Alam, another January 6 rioter who was pardoned last year, was arrested months later for home invasion. He was subsequently convicted of grand larceny and burglary in October 2026. Nichols, who was pardoned after receiving a 64-month sentence for assaulting police and brandishing a crowbar during the Capitol riot, was charged with deadly conduct and harassment in May 2026 after allegedly threatening a person with a gun outside a church.
Taake, 37, who was convicted of assaulting police officers during the Capitol riot, was later arrested in February 2025 on an outstanding charge of online solicitation of a minor in Texas. Kelley, a former Marine pardoned by Trump for his role in the Capitol riot, was sentenced to life in prison in July 2025 for plotting to murder FBI special agents who had investigated him. The January 6 rioter who was photographed holding then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's broken nameplate was later sentenced to 10 years in prison for a fatal DUI crash in January 2022.
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