Drug dealer whose sentence was commuted by Trump found guilty of violating terms of his release

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NEW YORK (AP) — A convicted New York drug dealer whose federal prison sentence was commuted by President Donald Trump has been found guilty of violating the terms of his release after being arrested and charged in connection with several recent crimes.

Jonathan Braun now faces up to five years in prison when he’s sentenced Oct. 9.

The Long Island resident had been accused of menacing a hospital nurse and a fellow synagogue member on two separate incidents, as well as of groping his family's nanny and evading bridge tolls.

A federal judge ruled Friday that prosecutors proved the violations had occurred "by a preponderance of the evidence" during a series of hearings in Brooklyn federal court.

At the same time, Judge Kiyo Matsumoto acknowledged prosecutors had not met the legal burden for other charges related to a March 29 altercation at his home.

Prosecutors had said Braun punched a guest in the face, shoved him to the ground, then pushed his 3-year-old son to the ground, leaving a red mark on the child’s back.

Braun, who pleaded not guilty, has been in federal custody since he was ordered detained in April. His lawyers didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment Monday.

In 2019, Braun was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to drug-related charges. He served roughly a year behind bars before Trump commuted his sentence in the final days of his first term in January 2021.

Braun had been a high-ranking member of an international group that smuggled more than 100,000 kilograms (220,460 pounds) of marijuana from Canada into the United States, federal prosecutors said at the time.

In the most recent criminal cases, prosecutors said, Braun argued with a staffer at a hospital in January and swung an IV pole at her. In March, he threatened a man who asked him to be quiet during a synagogue service.

Last summer, police said, Braun evaded bridge tolls at least 40 times, accruing $160 in unpaid fees.