A notorious New York drug dealer who was pardoned by former President Donald Trump has been arrested for allegedly slugging his wife and his 75-year-old father-in-law, court records show.
Jonathan Braun, 41, was busted on Long Island Tuesday after an argument with his wife at their Atlantic Beach home allegedly turned violent.
Court documents say he was chasing her down the stairs when his father-in-law tried to intervene and Braun punched the senior citizen two times in the head.
Braun’s wife told investigators he had thrown her to the floor on two separate occasions, once in July and again on Aug. 12, after which he “punched her in the head multiple times, causing her substantial pain, bruising and dizziness to her arms, legs, and head,” records show.
He was arraigned Wednesday on a range of charges related to the alleged domestic disputes, the most serious of which is second-degree assault for intentionally causing physical injury to a person 65 or older by someone more than 10 years younger.
He was also slapped with a pair of misdemeanor assault charges stemming from the alleged attacks on his wife.
He was charged separately for petit larceny, stemming from a criminal complaint that Braun blew through EZ-Pass readers at the Atlantic Bridge tollbooth without paying around 40 times between May 31 and July 10, totaling $160 in unpaid tolls, court documents show.
Braun allegedly removed the license plates from his white Lamborghini Yurus and black Ferrari convertible — two exotic cars priced well into six-figures — to evade detection when ducking the tolls.
Braun pleaded not guilty and was released on his own recognizance by Judge Arieh D. Schulman, who shot down prosecutors’ request for bail.
“My office requested bail be set at $35,000. The judge presiding over arraignment released the defendant on his own recognizance. We respectfully disagree with the Judge’s decision,” Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly told The Post.
“The Nassau County District Attorney’s Office continues to thoroughly review the evidence in this case and prepare for prosecution.”
Braun had served less than three years of a 10-year prison sentence when President Donald Trump commuted his sentence on Jan. 20, 2021, his last day in office.
A White House press release issued that same day detailed the pardons or commutations the outgoing commander-in-chief issued for dozens of individuals.
“President Trump commuted the sentence of Jonathan Braun. Mr. Braun has served 5 years of a 10-year sentence for conspiracy to import marijuana and to commit money laundering,” the explainer statement reads in part.
“Upon his release, Mr. Braun will seek employment to support his wife and children.
Braun was busted in 2010 for orchestrating a large-scale marijuana distribution ring that smuggled millions of dollars worth of weed from Canada to be peddled throughout the five boroughs. At the height of the operation it was raking in an estimated $6 million per week, prosecutors alleged in court papers at the time.
He also made a fortune heading up sketchy finance companies that charged usurious interest rates on loans made to small businesses — sometimes as high as 1,000% — often bullying or threatening customers with physical violence to collect on their debts.
In once case, Braun repeatedly called a business’s owner threatening him, after a bank blocked a $10,000 debit from the business account.
“You owe me money. Give me my money now,” Braun allegedly said warning the man “not to ‘f–k with’ him” and threatening to “destroy” him and make his life a “living hell,” the court papers allege.
“I know where you live. I know where mother lives,” Braun allegedly said. “I will take your daughters from you,” and, “You have no idea what I’m going to do.”
Another time, Braun allegedly said to a different customer, “Be thankful you’re not in New York, because your family would find you floating in the Hudson.”
Despite his vast illicit empire and considerable wealth — which he flaunted through purchases like a Bentley car and Rolex watches — Braun lived with his parents in their modest Staten Island home until federal authorities caught up with him.
He was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison in 2019 but released in January, 2021 after being granted clemency by the former president.
Braun’s second-degree assault charge alone could carry a sentence as much as seven years if convicted. He’s next due to appear in court on Aug. 29.
A Trump campaign spokesperson didn’t respond to The Post’s request for comment.
