Federal authorities in New York have arrested and charged a lobbyist — one who had labored on behalf of an ex-nursing residence operator pardoned lately by President Donald Trump — with trying to pressure a former consumer 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. Legal professional’s Workplace for the Japanese District of New York stated.
Nass might withstand 20 years in jail if convicted.
Courtroom paperwork allege that beginning in January Nass recruited and agreed to pay what the federal government calls a confidential witness to pressure the previous consumer and intimidate his son into paying the quantity that Nass claimed was owed for the consumer’s providers.
The daddy and son are named in courtroom paperwork solely as “John Doe 1” and “John Doe 2.”
“Quite than actually representing his consumer, Joshua Nass allegedly selected to shake him down by hiring an enforcer to extort cost,” James Barnacle Jr., assistant director answerable for the FBI’s New York subject workplace, stated 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 closing three months of 2025 listed Joseph Schwartz as a consumer.
The shape stated 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. Legal professional’s Workplace, stated Saturday he had no remark about whether or not the allegations towards Nass are associated to actions involving Schwartz.
Nass was arrested outdoors of his New York lodge on Friday, the identical day he had anticipated to fulfill with the confidential witness, the U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace stated.
Nass’ lawyer didn’t reply instantly to electronic mail and textual content messages in search of touch upon the case.
In accordance with a letter from the U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace, Nass agreed in December to offer lobbying providers to the consumer, who signed an settlement to pay Nass $600,000 in alternate for the providers.
The son helped make a $100,000 cost however stated he couldn’t then pay the total quantity and requested for “a cost plan,” which Nass seen as an “insult,” the letter stated.
Nass, who can also be a licensed lawyer in New York, had informed the witness to go to the son’s New York-area residence 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 automobile with masked males and threatening him, in keeping with the federal government’s information launch.
Nass stated he didn’t need the witness to behave “like a human being with” the son, an FBI agent’s signed affidavit stated.
