Federal authorities in New York have charged lobbyist Joshua Nass, one of whom had worked on behalf of an ex-nursing home operator pardoned by President Donald Trump, with attempting to force him and his son to pay $500,000. Court documents allege that Nass recruited and agreed to pay a confidential witness to intimidate the former client and his own son into paying the amount Nass claimed was owed for the client's services. If convicted, Nass could face up to 20 years in prison. The allegations were not directly related to the pardoned man named Joseph Schwartz, who had pleaded guilty in federal court in 2024 for his role in a $38 million employment tax fraud scheme involving nursing homes.