A labor union leader who pleaded guilty to failing to report gifts from an advertising firm was pardoned by President Trump on the eve of his sentencing Wednesday, court records show—frustrating the judge in the case. James Callahan, of Lindenhurst, New York, was general president of the International Union of Operating Engineers when he accepted at least $315,000 in tickets to sporting events and concerts and other amenities from a company that the union used to place ads. US District Judge Ana Reyes was scheduled to sentence Callahan on Wednesday. But on Tuesday, Callahan's attorneys notified the court of Trump's "full and unconditional" pardon.
The judge said she was "quite disappointed" to learn of Callahan's pardon after he accepted responsibility for his criminal conduct, according to a transcript of Wednesday's hearing. "I don't know why you were pardoned," Reyes said. "You weren't pardoned because you were wrongfully convicted. You pled guilty to the misdemeanors. You weren't pardoned because you were missentenced. Sentencing hadn't even occurred. You weren't pardoned because the law was somehow unfair, either in general or to you." The pardon itself doesn't specify why Trump spared Callahan, and the White House didn't give a reason. The union had endorsed President Biden for reelection over Trump, and Callahan signed a letter that explained the endorsement.
Earlier this month, prosecutors had recommended a prison sentence of six months, saying that Callahan's salary and other compensation topped $500,000 annually. Now retired and living in Florida, he has a net worth of more than $5 million, according to prosecutors. Reyes told Callahan that, at a minimum, she would have sentenced him to 500 hours of community service. So she made a suggestion, per the AP. "I can't force you to do community hours. I can't sentence you to them. But you can do them. No one's going to stop you from doing them. You want to take your lumps? Do the hours," she added. Callahan didn't give the judge an answer.
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