Ex-Goldman banker in 1MDB scandal asks Trump for pardon: report

Ex-Goldman banker in 1MDB scandal asks Trump for pardon: report

Tim Leissner, the former Goldman Sachs banker who performed a key function in the 1MDB scandal — one in every of the largest monetary crimes in historical past — is asking President Trump for a pardon as he makes an attempt to skirt a two-year keep in federal jail, according to a report.

Leissner filed his pardon application with the Department of Justice last 12 months, according to the DOJ web site. Bloomberg earlier reported on the submitting.

He is scheduled to give up to a federal jail in Southern California next month.

Tim Leissner, the former Goldman Sachs banker who performed a key function in the 1MDB scandal, is asking President Trump for a pardon, according to a report.

Leissner’s submitting follows pleas for clemency from other disgraced scammers like Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes and Archegos Capital Management founder Bill Hwang, each convicted for stealing tens of millions.

Last week alone, Trump granted pardons to more than 20 people, including a number of convicted of white-collar crimes – a transfer that has drawn criticism.

Goldman Sachs didn’t instantly reply to The Post’s request for remark.

Leissner, Goldman’s former Southeast Asia chairman, pleaded responsible in 2018 to conspiracy expenses, admitting that he engaged in a scheme to steal $4.5 billion from Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund, 1Malaysia Development Bhd.

He grew to become the star witness during the 2022 trial, cooperating with the US authorities to share particulars on his former colleague Roger Ng – who finally obtained a 10-year sentence – and Malaysian financier Jho Low, who’s thought of the mastermind of the fraud.

At his sentencing in May, Leissner pleaded with the court docket to spare him from jail time, writing in a letter that the crimes had already value him his profession, marriage and time together with his kids.

Tim Leissner and Kimora Lee Simmons. AP

His lawyer argued that he performed an important function in Ng’s conviction — and that Leissner confronted break-ins, slashed tires and threatening messages as a result of his cooperation.

“If I could turn back time, I would and I would do so without hesitation,” a teary-eyed Leissner said during the listening to. “Unfortunately, that is not possible.”

US District Judge Margo Brodie ordered him to serve two years in federal jail, saying his cooperation “did not completely make up for the harm and devastation that you knowingly caused.”

The 1MDB fraud resulted in billions of {dollars} in penalties for Goldman Sachs. Reuters

The 1MDB fraud finally toppled the Malaysian authorities, led to investigations in six nations and resulted in billions of {dollars} in penalties for Goldman Sachs. Low is still at large.

The stolen funds have been allegedly used to bribe officers in Malaysia and Abu Dhabi, fund lavish existence, and even again Martin Scorsese’s 2013 movie “The Wolf of Wall Street.”

Leissner – who personally obtained more than $50 million in kickbacks, according to prosecutors – also had his private life thrust into the highlight, including the end of his marriage to vogue mogul Kimora Lee Simmons.

During the trial, he admitted to mendacity to colleagues, creating faux electronic mail accounts and forging paperwork – including a faux divorce decree he confirmed Simmons as proof that his cut up from his earlier spouse was final.

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