Former Portland developer pardoned by Trump
Michael Liberty, a former Portland property developer convicted in 2016 of illegal campaign finance violations, was pardoned Tuesday by President Donald Trump.
Liberty, a Gray native who began his career running a sandwich shop there, was among 73 individuals granted pardons on Trump's last full day in office. Many were political allies of the 45th president, including former chief strategist Steve Bannon. Trump also commuted sentences of 70 people convicted of crimes.
For years, Liberty was a prominent fixture within the Portland business community. His portfolio included the Chandler's Wharf waterfront condominiums and two large office buildings on Middle Street.
Now a resident of Windermere, Fla., a town of 2,500 near Orlando, Liberty in 2017 was sentenced to four months in jail by a federal judge for illegal campaign contributions to the presidential campaign of Republican Mitt Romney.
Liberty, who pled guilty to the charge, was also ordered to pay a $100,000 fine. The case stemmed from a probe by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
In Tuesday's statement, the White House said, "President Trump granted a full pardon to Michael Liberty. Mr. Liberty’s request for clemency is supported by Representative Susan Austin, Matthew E. Sturgis, and Anthony Fratianne. In 2016, Mr. Liberty was convicted for campaign finance violations and later was indicted for related offenses."
The statement also noted that Liberty is the father of seven children and has been involved in numerous philanthropic efforts, without going into details.
The status of other charges against Liberty for his alleged role in a purported multimillion-dollar investment fraud scheme was not immediately clear.
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