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Billionaire’s $50M family deal for Alina Habba precedes Trump pardon

newsOct 21, 202617722

Julio Herrera Velutini, a Venezuelan banker who had been seeking clemency, received a full presidential pardon weeks after his family retained Alina Habba on an employment deal reported to be worth about $50 million. Reporting says Habba, who has served as a lawyer to former President Trump and worked as a DOJ adviser, was hired as chief legal counsel for a company formed in 2025 that reportedly had no employees or physical presence. Multiple reports say the contract amounted to roughly $10 million a year guaranteed over four years, and that the pardon followed soon after Habba joined the family’s company. The New York Times published the central report, which has prompted public criticism and been amplified by figures including former White House press secretary Jen Psaki. The timing of the hire and the subsequent pardon has intensified allegations of pay-to-play influence around clemency decisions and is likely to spur further scrutiny from reporters and lawmakers.

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