Court Lacks Jurisdiction To Expunge Criminal Record
Large donor argued he had lost ability to participate in many philanthropic efforts because of conviction
James Batmasian, a self-described person of extraordinary wealth with a history of substantial charitable giving, claimed that his 2008 conviction for failure to pay federal withholding taxes has caused “exceptional difficulties and hardships” to his “pioneering philanthropic endeavors” and his “desire to be proactive” with charity. Despite the fact that then-Florida Governor Rick Scott restored his civil rights in 2017 after he had served his time and that then-President Donald Trump pardoned him in 2020, he claimed that the conviction on his record impaired his First Amendment rights to give away his wealth and participate in charitable activities. The Florida real estate developer...
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