Giuliani Associate Sought $2 Million Payment for Trump Pardons

Florida businessman Harry Sargeant III told federal prosecutors that associates of Rudy Giuliani approached him seeking a $2 million payment to secure presidential pardons for individuals under investigation, according to court filings unsealed in April 2021. The revelation provided direct evidence of a systematic pay-to-play pardon scheme operating through Trump’s personal attorney during the final months of his presidency.

The Pardon-for-Sale Scheme

Sargeant, a wealthy Republican donor and defense contractor, testified that individuals connected to Giuliani’s network—including Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman—approached him multiple times in 2020 seeking large payments in exchange for pardons. The scheme involved obtaining clemency for Ukrainian oligarch Dmytro Firtash, who was fighting extradition to the United States on bribery and racketeering charges.

According to Sargeant’s testimony, the intermediaries claimed they could secure pardons through their connections to Giuliani, who had direct access to President Trump. The $2 million figure represented the “price” for guaranteeing presidential clemency. Sargeant told prosecutors he was shocked by the brazenness of the solicitation and reported it to authorities.

The Firtash Connection

Dmytro Firtash, a Ukrainian oligarch with reported ties to Russian organized crime, had been indicted by U.S. prosecutors for bribing Indian officials to secure titanium mining contracts. He was fighting extradition from Austria while funding Giuliani’s activities in Ukraine. Giuliani represented Firtash even while serving as Trump’s personal attorney, creating massive conflicts of interest.

Parnas and Fruman, Giuliani associates who were themselves under indictment for campaign finance violations, allegedly served as intermediaries in the pardon scheme. Both had been arrested in October 2019 while attempting to flee the country with one-way tickets to Vienna, where Firtash was based. They were charged with funneling foreign money into U.S. political campaigns and creating straw donor schemes.

Giuliani’s Pardon Network

The testimony revealed Giuliani was operating a pardon-for-sale network using multiple intermediaries to approach wealthy individuals, foreign nationals, and others facing federal charges. Prosecutors investigating the scheme found evidence of a systematic operation where:

• Intermediaries identified potential “clients” willing to pay for pardons
• Giuliani’s network negotiated prices ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars
• Payments were structured to appear as legal fees, political contributions, or consulting contracts
• Giuliani allegedly had direct access to Trump to deliver pardon requests

The scheme bypassed the Department of Justice’s Office of the Pardon Attorney entirely. Instead of following the constitutional process for clemency review, Trump’s pardons were being granted based on who could pay Giuliani’s network the most money.

Pattern of Corruption

Sargeant’s testimony corroborated earlier evidence from the December 2020 DOJ investigation into pardon bribery. Multiple witnesses described similar approaches by Giuliani associates seeking payments for pardons. The pattern suggested this was not isolated incidents but a systematic operation to monetize presidential pardon power.

Federal investigators found communications showing Giuliani associates discussing “fees” for pardons, strategizing about how to approach potential clients, and coordinating payments. Some communications referenced Giuliani directly, though he denied any wrongdoing and claimed he was merely providing legal representation.

Significance

The revelation that Giuliani’s network was openly soliciting multi-million dollar payments for pardons demonstrated the complete corruption of Trump’s clemency process. Rather than a constitutional power exercised in the public interest, pardons had become a profit center for Trump’s inner circle. The scheme showed Trump’s willingness to allow his personal attorney to essentially sell presidential powers to the highest bidder, with Giuliani acting as the middleman in what prosecutors believed was a criminal conspiracy to commit bribery and corruption.