Lobbyist Arrested in Extortion Plot Linked to Trump Pardon Efforts

A lobbyist and attorney, Josh Nass, was arrested in Manhattan on an extortion charge tied to a client who had received a presidential pardon. Nass had been paid to press for clemency for Joseph Schwartz, a former nursing-home executive, and allegedly tried to collect a remaining $500,000 by threatening Schwartz’s son, with investigators recording conversations in both Russian and English. The case underscores conflicts around clemency lobbying and private extortion schemes in the Trump era.