Donald Trump has issued a full pardon to Stephen Buyer, a Republican who previously served as a congressman for Indiana, after Buyer completed nearly two years in prison for illegal stock trades made using inside information.
Buyer was sentenced in 2023 to 22 months for trades executed while working as a consultant and lobbyist. He was ordered to forfeit over $350,000 in illegal gains and pay a $10,000 fine, having been released in 2025.
Trump’s pardon, described as "full, complete, and unconditional," cited Buyer’s "distinguished and highly productive" career as a judge advocate general in the Army and during his time in the House.
The pardon was dated Thursday and released by the White House late Friday.
Buyer asserted that the pardon "corrects a politically motivated prosecution" and described being imprisoned for "a crime that I did not commit" as "horrific."
He continues to maintain his innocence.
Trump had previously used his Truth Social platform on May 31 to share letters requesting a presidential pardon for Buyer, a lawyer and Gulf War veteran who left office in 2011.
Buyer served as a House prosecutor during Democratic President Bill Clinton’s 1998 impeachment trial and was part of Trump’s 2016 transition team, focusing on veterans’ issues.
A letter signed by more than 40 Republicans in Congress claimed Buyer was "targeted by the deep state" due to his involvement in Clinton’s trial, adding, "Like you, Mr. President, Steve has been the victim of lawfare conducted by the Biden Administration."
A separate letter from five current House Republicans also advocated for the pardon, stating it would bring justice to his case.
Buyer, 67, was convicted in connection with insider trading related to the $26.5 billion merger of T-Mobile and Sprint in April 2018, and illegal trades involving the management consulting company Navigant ahead of its acquisition by his client Guidehouse.
The Constitution grants a president broad authority to issue pardons for federal crimes, which, while not erasing a criminal record, are often viewed as acts of mercy or justice.
Buyer was originally indicted on four counts of securities fraud arising from his engagement with two insider trading schemes that saw him profit on privileged information by buying shares in companies – Sprint and Navigant Consulting – just before their takeovers were announced.
He was found guilty at trial and sentenced by U.S. District Judge Richard M Berman on September 19, 2023, after which U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams said: “Stephen Buyer was convicted by a jury of twice engaging in insider trading.
“He abused positions of trust for illicit personal gain, and today he faced justice for those acts. No insider trader is above the law, and we will continue to bring those who undermine the fairness and integrity of our markets to justice.”
