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The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Tampa announced on Wednesday that Andrew Leszczynski, 22, arrested in an extensive alleged fraud case, presented a fabricated pardon from former U.S. president Donald Trump.
"According to the court documents and the facts presented during the bond hearing, Leszczynski used fictitious charitable entities, such as Love & Bliss, Inc., to engage in numerous frauds. The schemes included fraudulently applying for and receiving two Payroll Protection Plan (“PPP”) loans totaling approximately $195,910 and engaging in a check kiting scheme and attempting to deposit $2.7 million of worthless checks into the Love & Bliss, Inc. business account," the office said in a statement released by United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg.
The saga took a bizarre turn when federal authorities caught up with him.
"The United States ultimately seized $337,000 from an account Leszczynski controlled and, when he discovered that the money had been frozen, he attempted to have it released by producing a fabricated pardon purportedly signed by former President Donald Trump," the statement read.
"In a separate fraud scheme, Leszczynski filed fraudulent warranty deeds purporting to deed to himself and his businesses 10 properties around the United States collectively valued at more than $300 million. When property owners and attorneys attempted to correct the fraudulent deeds, Leszczynski responded by sending harassing and threatening letters, emails, and faxes."
In 2021, The Daily Beast reported on Leszczynski's alleged efforts to seize to properties owned by Jeffrey Epstien.
Leszczynski faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison.
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Russian leader Vladimir Putin grew frustrated with Donald Trump's inability to understand foreign policy issues, his former top National Security Council advisor on the country said.
Fiona Hill explained the dynamics during a Tuesday Chicago Council on Global Affairs event.
Business Insider reports, "One of the reasons Putin invaded Ukraine with President Joe Biden in the White House is because he expected the US to 'sue for peace' and thought it would be better to deal with Biden than trying to negotiate with someone like Trump, who the Russian leader had 'to explain everything to all the time," said Hill, who served as the top Russia advisor on the National Security Council under Trump."
Hill currently serves as a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.
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"He thought that somebody like Biden — who's a Transatlanticist, who knows all about NATO, who actually knows where Ukraine is, and actually knows something about the history, and is very steeped in international affairs — would be the right person to engage with," she explained. "You could see that he got frustrated many times with President Trump because he had to keep explaining things, and Putin doesn't like to do that."
Trump praised Putin prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"I went in yesterday and there was a television screen, and I said, 'This is genius,'" Trump told a far-right podcaster. "Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine — of Ukraine -- Putin declares it as independent. Oh, that’s wonderful."
"I said, 'How smart is that?'" Trump continued. "And he’s gonna go in and be a peacekeeper. That’s the strongest peace force… We could use that on our southern border. That’s the strongest peace force I’ve ever seen. There were more army tanks than I’ve ever seen. They’re gonna keep peace all right. No, but think of it. Here’s a guy who’s very savvy."
Following public pressure, Trump sought to clarify his views in a statement emailed to reports.
"The Fake News is also saying I called Putin a 'genius,' when actually, and to be precise, I called his build-up on the Ukraine Border before the war started genius because I assumed he would be easily able to negotiate a great deal for Russia," Trump said. "TThe Fake News said I called him a genius during the war. No, I was describing the great negotiating posture he had prior to the unfortunate decision to enter Ukraine and fight. There was nothing 'genius' about that!"
Watch the speech below or at this link.
Fiona Hill on Russia, Ukraine, and the Outcome of the War www.youtube.com
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Is Donald Trump still the ultimate power player in the Republican Party? That question is unanswered after mixed results for candidates endorsed by the former president in key primary elections across the United States.
In the wake of Tuesday's contests to choose candidates to run for Congress or state governorships in November, Trump took to his own Truth Social -- which he launched after being barred from Twitter -- to emphasize the positive.
"A big night for Trump Endorsed candidates last night," he wrote early Wednesday.
Since the start of this month, when primary season kicked into high gear ahead of the crucial midterm elections, in which Republicans are seeking to seize control of Congress from President Joe Biden's Democrats, Team Trump has been riding high.
The vast majority of his candidates, from West Virginia to best-selling author J.D. Vance in Ohio, have won their races.
And on Tuesday, the Trump camp notched some signature wins: his choices earned the Republican nomination for governor in Pennsylvania and the party's Senate nod in North Carolina.
The Pennsylvania candidate, state senator Doug Mastriano, appeared at Trump's now-infamous Stop the Steal rally on January 6, 2021 -- which preceded the deadly Capitol riot by a pro-Trump mob.
But there were setbacks: scandal-plagued Trump darling Madison Cawthorn, 26, conceded defeat in his bid to seek reelection to the House of Representatives in his North Carolina district.
On Wednesday, all eyes were still on the Rust Belt battleground state of Pennsylvania, where television doctor Mehmet Oz -- initially seen as a shoo-in to be the Republican Senate candidate thanks to Trump's backing -- was locked in a nail-biter.
Despite the lack of a final count in the race, Trump weighed in to congratulate Oz, who became famous for his regular appearances on "The Oprah Winfrey Show."
"Oz won!" he wrote on Truth Social.
- 'Ultra MAGA' -
Of course, he then covered his bases an hour later, explaining away an eventual loss.
"Remember, all three candidates in Pennsylvania were 'Ultra' MAGA!" he wrote, referring to his trademark Make America Great Again slogan.
Subtext: the billionaire real estate mogul turned populist politician has the party in his grip, for better or worse.
A few minutes later, still without a final result, Trump decries the vote count.
"Here we go again! In Pennsylvania they are unable to count the Mail-In Ballots. It is a BIG MESS," he wrote.
Trump often blamed write-in votes for his loss to Biden in November 2020.
In other primary races, Pennsylvania lieutenant governor John Fetterman -- the tattooed, hoodie and shorts-wearing frontrunner in the race for the Democratic Senate nomination, won despite suffering a stroke just days before the vote.
Fetterman said he had suffered no cognitive damage and was expected to make a full recovery but he remains hospitalized. His camp said Tuesday as the primary was unfolding that he would have a pacemaker implanted.
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