Key facts
- President Trump granted a full pardon to former U.S. Representative Stephen Buyer.
- Buyer was convicted in 2023 of securities fraud for insider trading.
- Buyer was sentenced to 22 months in prison.
- Buyer was ordered to forfeit $354,027.
- The pardon was supported by over 50 current and former lawmakers.
President Donald Trump has granted a full, complete, and unconditional pardon to former Republican Indiana Rep. Stephen Buyer, who was convicted in 2023 of profiting from insider information. The pardon absolves Buyer of a 22-month prison sentence and a federal conviction stemming from allegations that he purchased stock in Navigant Consulting Inc. just weeks before Guidehouse acquired it, and that he bought Sprint shares after learning of its unannounced merger with T-Mobile. The White House cited Buyer's 'distinguished and highly productive' career, including his service as a judge advocate general in the U.S. Army and his 1993–2011 tenure as a U.S. representative. The pardon was supported by the 'complete and total endorsement' of more than 50 current and former lawmakers, including Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham and Roger Wicker, and former House Speaker John Boehner. Buyer was found guilty by a jury of operating off nonpublic, insider information after he left office, and U.S. District Judge Richard Berman argued Buyer obstructed justice by giving false explanations for his trades. Buyer's legal team argued that litigation costs had financially ruined him, forcing him and his wife to sell assets, but he was sentenced to 22 months in prison, ordered to forfeit $354,027, and fined $10,000. A letter signed by more than 40 Republicans in Congress claimed Buyer was 'targeted by the deep state' due to his involvement in Clinton's trial.