NEW YORK (AP) — Federal authorities in New York have arrested and charged a lobbyist — one who had labored on behalf of an ex-nursing house operator pardoned lately by President Donald Trump — with making an attempt to pressure a former shopper and his son to pay him $500,000, in keeping with paperwork.
Joshua Nass, 34, of Charleston, South Carolina, was scheduled to look Saturday earlier than a Justice of the Peace decide on an tried extortion cost unsealed Friday, the U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace for the Jap District of New York mentioned. Nass might resist 20 years in jail if convicted.
Court docket paperwork allege that beginning in January Nass recruited and agreed to pay what the federal government calls a confidential witness to pressure the previous shopper and intimidate his son into paying the quantity that Nass claimed was owed for the shopper’s providers. The daddy and son are named in courtroom paperwork solely as “John Doe 1” and “John Doe 2.”
“Somewhat than actually representing his shopper, Joshua Nass allegedly selected to shake him down by hiring an enforcer to extort cost,” James Barnacle Jr., assistant director in command of the FBI’s New York area workplace, mentioned in a information launch. “The FBI prioritizes crushing violent crimes offenses and extortion schemes.”
A federal lobbying disclosure kind filed with the U.S. Home and Senate dated Jan. 15, signed digitally by Nass and protecting remaining three months of 2025 listed Joseph Schwartz as a shopper. The shape mentioned the agency that Nass based generated an estimated $100,000 in revenue for lobbying actions for the reporting interval, with “federal presidential pardon advocacy” amongst his lobbying points.
Trump had pardoned in November a person named Joseph Schwartz who had pleaded responsible in federal courtroom in 2024 for his function in a $38 million employment tax fraud scheme involving nursing properties he owned throughout the nation. Schwartz operated New Jersey-based Skyline Administration Group.
Reached by telephone, John Marzulli, a spokesperson for the U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace, mentioned Saturday he had no remark about whether or not the allegations towards Nass are associated to actions involving Schwartz.
Nass was arrested exterior of his New York lodge on Friday, the identical day he had anticipated to satisfy with the confidential witness, the U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace mentioned.
Nass’ legal professional didn’t reply instantly to e-mail and textual content messages searching for touch upon the case.
In keeping with a letter from the U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace, Nass agreed in December to offer lobbying providers to the shopper, who signed an settlement to pay Nass $600,000 in change for the providers. The son helped make a $100,000 cost however mentioned he couldn’t then pay the total quantity and requested for “a cost plan,” which Nass seen as an “insult,” the letter mentioned.
Nass, who can be a licensed legal professional in New York, had informed the witness to go to the son’s New York-area house to compel cost, however the son shut the door on him after being informed Nass had despatched him, courtroom paperwork allege.
Between January and March, Nass and the witness mentioned methods the witness might extort the cost, together with assaulting the son or forcing him right into a automotive with masked males and threatening him, in keeping with the federal government’s information launch. Nass mentioned he didn’t need the witness to behave “like a human being with” the son, an FBI agent’s signed affidavit mentioned.