A contract for more than 50 million dollars for a Donald Trump’s former personal lawyermillionaire donations to a political committee of the president and contributions for the construction of his new ballroom in the White House are part of a series of operations that surrounded the pardon granted to Julio Herrera Velutinia powerful Venezuelan banker accused of corruption in Puerto Rico.
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The new revelations, published by The New York Times, deepen the questions about the way wealthy and politically connected people They have managed to access the inner circle from the American president to request clemency.
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At the center of the investigation figure Alina HabbaTrump’s former personal lawyer, who He was a federal prosecutor in New Jersey and later an advisor to Attorney General Pam Bondi at the Department of Justice.
According to documents and interviews obtained by the newspaper, The Herrera family offered him a contract that guaranteed more than 50 million of dollars for four years to do it Concord Legal Counsel Partnersa company founded in Florida by Isabela Herrera, daughter of the banker.
The agreement contemplated an annual salary of 10 million of dollarsmore bonuses. Habba completed this at the end of October 2025, a few days after the company was formed, while he was still serving as a federal prosecutor in New Jersey. Subsequently, cformally began its functionsionis he 1st January 2026, when she also held the position of special advisor to the Department of Justice. Two weeks later, on January 15, Trump granted Herrera Velutini a full pardon and unconditional.
Habba’s denials of the alleged “aid”
Alina Habba, advisor to President Donald Trump Photo:Gage Skidmore
The temporary coincidence has raised questions about the purpose of the contract, especially because concord Partners lacks a public profile and its business activities are unknown even to some people linked to business of the family.
Sources familiar with the deal told Times who considered that Habba had been hired to help to get the presidential pardon and expressed their surprise at the magnitude of their remuneration.
However, there is no public evidence to show that the contract was a payment in exchange for the pardon.
Habba denied having intervened in the proceedings and assured that his private employment had been communicated and reviewed by the Department of Justice. The entity also He maintained that the lawyer did not talk to anyone about forgiveness, while the White House He stated that the decision followed normal procedures.
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Then, Habba had the status of special employee of the Government, a figure that allows certain private activities to be maintained, subject to restrictions due to conflicts of interest. Also maintained an office in Justice and protection of the United States Marshals Service.
The Herrera Velutini and their power in Venezuela
Julio Herrera Velutini Photo:Social networks
Herrera Velutini belongs to one of the families of the greatest financial tradition in Venezuela, with interests in banking, real estate and other business sectors.
Of dual Venezuelan and Italian nationality, is part of a dynasty whose origins date back several centuries and which owns properties in Venezuela and in different European countries.
In 2008 founded a banking entity in Puerto Rico that ended up involved in a federal investigation for alleged bribery.
In August 2022, the Department of Justice accused him of participating in a scheme to finance the campaign of then-governor Wanda Vázquez in exchange for her dismissing a regulator who was investigating her bank.
The businessman, the former governor and a former FBI agent who worked as a consultant to the banker were prosecuted for serious crimes and initially declared innocent.
However, in August 2025, Herrera Velutini reached an agreement with the Prosecutor’s Office that reduced the charges to a misdemeanor related to electoral financing. The other two defendants also they agreed to plead guilty of minor infractions, a resolution that generated discomfort among career prosecutors who had defended more severe sanctions.
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Isabela Herrera and her generous donations to Maga
Despite this reduction, the banker was still interested in eliminating his criminal record completely.
to get it hired Christopher Kiseformer attorney general of Florida and one of the lawyers who They had personally represented Trump. Kise participated in judicial negotiations and, later, in the efforts to obtain a pardon.
The contract with Habba It was not the only step the family took to get closer to the presidential environment.
Isabela Herrera, 27-year-old US citizen, had made two contributions for a total of 3.5 million of dollars to MAGA Inc., a political committee that supports Trump.
The donations drew the attention of campaign Legal Centeran organization specialized in electoral transparency, which filed a complaint with the Federal Electoral Commission to investigate if the young woman had acted as an intermediary for his fatherwhich could constitute a violation of political financing laws.
The organization highlighted that, before these contributions, Isabela’s only known political contribution it had been 20 dollars to Democrat Pete Buttigieg’s 2020 presidential campaign.
But last week, Washington Post revealed another hitherto unknown contribution.
According to internal documents obtained by the newspaper, Isabela Herrera got engaged on September 23 from 2025 to deliver another 2.5 million of dollars for finance the construction of the new ballroom that Trump promotes in the White House.
Records show that on October 14 the first installment was paid for 835,000 dollars. A second disbursement was scheduled for this month.
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That is, between political contributions and the commitment to finance the works, the banker’s daughter had allocated or promised at least US$6 million to initiatives linked to Trump before his father received a pardon.
Trump’s pardon for the Venezuelan banker
The Herrera Velutini case is part of a broader phenomenon which has gained strength during Trump’s second term.
The Constitution of USA USA grants the president broad powers to grant pardons and commute sentences for federal crimes, with the exception of political impeachment processes. This is a power that does not require the approval of Congress and that leaders from both parties have used.
However, during the current administration there has been a growing activity of lawyerslobbyists and former officials with personal connections to Trump who They offer their services to interested people in obtaining clemency.
Organizations like campaign Legal Center have questioned that political contributions and personal relationships can become mechanisms to obtain favorable treatment.
Among the cases mentioned Changpeng Zhao’s figurefounder of the Binance cryptocurrency platform, pardoned in October 2025 after his company established business relationships with businesses linked to the Trump family and hired lobbyists to manage his request.
The White House has defended presidential decisions and maintains that the pardons undergo a review process in which his legal advisors and the Department of Justice participate.
In the case of Herrera Velutini, forgiveness also benefited the former governor Wanda Vázquez and the former FBI agent involved in the process.
The other scandals that affect Alina Habba
The revelations come when Habba faces another dispute that involves figures close to the president.
Trump’s former lawyer got married last month with Turkish businessman Turhan Mildon, at a ceremony in New York attended by senior administration officials, including Attorney General Todd Blanche, FBI Director Kash Patel, and White House Counsel Will Scharf.
Donald Trump, Richard Grenell, Alina Habba and Turhan Mildon Photo:COLLAGE – International Editorial Staff
The couple is currently in a public confrontation with Richard Grenell, a former Trump ally and former head of the Kennedy Center, for the handling of a donation made by Mildon to that cultural institution.
Habba has accused Grenell of improperly using resources, a version that he rejects. own Trump ordered Scharf to investigate allegationsin a controversy that, according to previous Times reporting, also involves a wire transfer from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to a Texas defense company.
For now, neither Herrera Velutini nor her daughter have responded to requests for comment of the newspapers.
SERGIO GÓMEZ MASERI
EL TIEMPO correspondent – Washington – @sergom68
