Conman whose sentence was commuted by Trump receives new decades in prison
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) β A New Jersey man whose long prison sentence for fraud convictions was commuted by President Donald Trump in 2021 is now returning to federal prison for another fraud conviction.
U.S. District Judge Michael Shipp in Trenton on Friday handed down a 37-year sentence to Eliyahu βEliβ Weinstein, 51, of Lakewood, also known as Mike Konig.
Shipp also ruled that Weinstein must pay $44,294,803 in restitution, which is due immediately, according to court documents.
Weinstein was convicted in March on charges that he helped defraud dozens of investors out of $35 million.
Prosecutors have said Weinstein and others falsely promised investors access to deals involving scarce medical supplies, baby formula and first aid kits supposedly destined for wartime Ukraine.
This was the third time Weinstein was convicted in federal court in New Jersey for defrauding investors. The first case involved a real estate Ponzi scheme, and the second involved additional fraud he committed while on pretrial release.
For those last two cases, which resulted in combined losses to investors of approximately $230 million, Weinstein was sentenced to 24 years in prison. On January 19, 2021, the day before leaving office during his first term, Trump commuted Weinstein’s term to time served after less than eight years of his sentence.
Shortly after being released, Weinstein began orchestrating the scheme for which he was sentenced last week, prosecutors said.
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