Medicare Fraudster Whose Sentence Was Commuted by Trump Arrested on Domestic Violence-Related Charges

A medicare fraudster who was given clemency by then-President Donald Trump was arrested and charged Sunday for a domestic violence-related incident.

Philip Esformes, 56, was booked early Sunday morning after he “verbally threatened a woman whom her relatives described as his wife,” according to a report from The New York Times. Esformes allegedly broke items on a “table filled with glassware” and also pushed the table toward a family member.

When the woman tried calling the police, Esformes allegedly smashed her phone.

He was charged with tampering with a victim or witness and criminal mischief involving property damage of $1,000 or more.

In 2019, Esformes was convicted for what the Department of Justice called its “largest health care fraud scheme ever.” The years-long scheme involved more than $1 billion in fraudulent claims and netted Esformes approximately $37 million. He was given 20 years in prison — having already served the first few years from his arrest in 2016 — before Trump commuted the remainder of the sentence.

The statement from the Trump White House announcing Esformes’ commutation claimed that he was “in declining health” and “had been devoted to prayer and repentance.”

In Esformes’ original indictment, the jury had deadlocked on six counts, and DOJ prosecutors moved to retry him on those counts several months after the commutation. In February 2024, Esformes entered a guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud in order to put an end to the saga. The DOJ dropped the remaining counts and he was given credit for time served with no additional prison time.

As noted by Times, Esformes is at least the seventh Trump clemency recipient to be charged with new crimes. Of those seven, three — including Esformes — have been charged for domestic violence-related incidents.

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