The family of a Venezuelan billionaire guaranteed more than $50 million to former attorney Alina Habba shortly before President Donald Trump granted that businessman a full and unconditional pardon, The New York Times reports.
Habba’s compensation package included a $10 million annual salary for four years plus bonuses. She was to serve as general counsel at Concord Partners, a Florida company established in late October 2025 by Isabela Herrera, the U.S. citizen daughter of Julio Herrera Velutini.
The company had no public profile. Its specific business activities were unclear even to some people associated with the Herrera business empire.
Trump Pardons Banker After Bribe Charges
Julio Herrera Velutini, a Venezuelan-Italian banker, was charged in August 2022 for allegedly bribing Puerto Rico Wanda Vázquez to dismiss a regulator investigating Herrera’s bank. Herrera, Vázquez, and a former FBI agent acting as a consultant initially pleaded not guilty to felony charges.
Herrera reached a plea agreement with the Justice Department in August 2025, pleading guilty to a single misdemeanor campaign finance violation. He then sought a pardon to clear his record, hiring Christopher Kise, a former personal lawyer for Donald Trump, to lobby for clemency.
Isabela Herrera donated $3.5 million to a super PAC connected to Trump.
The timeline of Habba’s employment and the pardon is as follows:
- Late October 2025: Isabela Herrera registers Concord Partners in Florida.
- Days after registration: Habba finalizes her deal with the company while still serving as U.S. attorney in New Jersey and as a senior adviser to Attorney General Pam Bondi.
- January 1: Habba formally begins her work for Concord Partners.
- Weeks later: President Trump grants full pardons to Herrera, Vázquez, and the former FBI agent shortly before their scheduled sentencing for misdemeanor offenses.
Officials Deny Habba Influenced Pardon
Some individuals familiar with the contract told The New York Times they believed Habba was hired specifically to help secure clemency, noting the high level of compensation.
The Justice Department and a White House official stated that Habba did not speak to anyone about the pardon and had no involvement in the clemency process.
Habba had previously resigned as U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey after a federal court determined her appointment by Trump was unlawful.
