GOOG Alphabet Inc

A Wall Street Journal Roundup 

In one of his last acts as president, Donald Trump issued dozens of pardons and commutations, including for some notable figures in the worlds of business and finance.

Anthony Levandowski

Anthony Levandowski, a pioneer of self-driving car technology, pleaded guilty in March 2020 to theft and attempted theft of trade secrets from Google's self-driving program "with the intent to use it to benefit someone other than Google," according to a legal filing at the time. He was sentenced in August 2020 to 18 months in prison on one count of stealing trade secrets.

Mr. Levandowski left Google's self-driving unit, Waymo, in 2016 and helped start a company soon acquired by Uber Technologies Inc. Google parent Alphabet Inc. sued Uber in 2017, claiming that Mr. Levandowski stole thousands of confidential files before leaving Google. Waymo and Uber settled the lawsuit in 2018, but a judge in the case asked federal prosecutors to investigate Uber and Mr. Levandowski over possible trade-secret theft. He was charged by federal authorities with 33 counts of trade-secret theft in August 2019, but a judge ruled that he wouldn't have to report to prison during the pandemic.

The pardon was supported by venture capitalist Peter Thiel and entrepreneur Palmer Luckey, who founded Oculus VR, according to the White House.

--Preetika Rana

Robert Hayes

Robert "Robin" Hayes, a former North Carolina congressman pardoned by Mr. Trump, pleaded guilty in 2019 to lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation during a probe into a bribery case centering on insurance mogul Greg Lindberg, part of what the Charlotte Observer has called one of the state's worst government-corruption scandals.

Mr. Lindberg last year was convicted of attempting to bribe North Carolina's elected insurance commissioner with as much as $2 million in campaign contributions, to obtain more favorable regulatory treatment for his insurers. The commissioner was cooperating with the FBI and taped the bribe attempts. Mr. Lindberg, now serving a sentence of more than seven years, has denied the charges and is appealing the conviction.

Mr. Hayes, who had been chairman of the state's Republican Party ahead of the scandal, was on probation before his pardon. Mr. Lindberg reportedly also sought a pardon, but wasn't included on the list released by the White House early Wednesday morning.

--Mark Maremont

Greg Reyes

Greg Reyes, former CEO of networking company Brocade Communications, was convicted of securities fraud in 2007 for the backdating of stock options, part of a broader backdating scandal that roiled the corporate world at that time. He was accused of defrauding shareholders between 2000 and 2004 by conspiring to alter the grant dates of stock options awarded to employees and of falsifying documents, including the company's financial statements, to cover up the scheme.

His original conviction was reversed on appeal but he was retried, found guilty and sentenced to 18-month prison term in 2010. Mr. Reyes, who led the company when it went public in 1999, was dismissed in 2005 after the stock-options problems became known. Broadcom Ltd. acquired Brocade in 2017. Mr. Reyes has accepted full responsibility for his actions, the White House said.

--Thomas Gryta

Michael Liberty

Michael Liberty, a onetime real-estate developer turned tech entrepreneur, pleaded guilty in 2016 to making illegal campaign contributions during the 2012 election and stands accused of more criminal and civil wrongdoing.

In 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission alleged Mr. Liberty was engaged in a brazen fraud, deceiving investors in his startup, Mozido Inc., and looting tens of millions of dollars from it to pay for chartered flights and a movie produced by his then-girlfriend, among other expenses. A year later, the Justice Department accused Mr. Liberty of criminal fraud, money laundering and using Mozido shareholder money to cover amounts he separately owed in a 2006 securities-fraud lawsuit.

Attorneys for Mr. Liberty have previously denied prosecutors' allegations.

--Peter Rudegeair

William Walters

William "Billy" Walters, a famed sports gambler, was convicted in April 2017 of 10 criminal charges related to insider trading. Prosecutors had accused him of earning illegal profits and avoiding losses of more than $40 million through tips from former Dean Foods Co. Chairman Thomas Davis. Mr. Davis pleaded guilty in the case.

In July 2017, Mr. Walters was sentenced to five years in prison. He was scheduled to be released in 2022, federal prison records show.

--Corinne Ramey

Jeffrey Conway

Jeffrey Conway was president of Rent-Way Inc. in 2000 when he was asked to resign after the operator of rent-to-own stores discovered accounting irregularities that totaled more than $127 million over two fiscal years. He pleaded in July 2001 to one count of conspiracy for his part in misstating the company's earnings. He was sentenced to 13 months in prison. He now operates 10 restaurants that employ 500 people, the White House said.

--Marcelo Prince

Scott Harkonen

Scott Harkonen, who was CEO of InterMune Inc. from 1998 to 2003, was convicted of wire fraud in 2009 for making false statements about the biotech company's Actimmune drug. He caused the company to issue a press release saying the drug lengthened the life of patients in a trial when it had failed, according to the Justice Department's case. He was sentenced to three years probation. Dr. Harkonen is renowned for his discovery of a new kidney disease, as well as its cause and treatment, the White House said.

--Marcelo Prince

Jon Harder

Jon Harder was CEO of Sunwest Management Inc., an operator of about 300 assisted-living facilities that was accused of misleading investors 2007 and 2008 before the real-estate crisis. Sunwest went into receivership in 2009 and a federal judge found the company improperly commingled investor funds. Mr. Harder pleaded guilty in 2015 to one felony count of mail fraud and one count of money laundering and was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison. The White House said Mr. Harder accepted responsibility and cooperated with the government's civil and criminal actions against him at great personal cost.

--Marcelo Prince

Douglas Jemal

Douglas Jemal, a Washington, D.C., real-estate developer, was convicted of wire fraud in 2007. His offices were raided by the FBI in 2005 and he was charged with conspiracy, bribery, fraud and tax evasion, according to the Washington Post. Mr. Jemal was acquitted on six out of seven charges. A native of Brooklyn, Mr. Jemal is close with the family of Jared Kushner, the Post reported Wednesday.

--Thomas Gryta

John Davis

John Davis, the former CEO of Comprehensive Pain Specialists, was convicted of fraud in 2019 and sentenced to 42 months in prison for his role in a $4.6 million kickback scheme, according to the Nashville Post. Mr. Davis was accused of receiving payments from a medical equipment company in exchange for directing people to send orders to that company.

--Thomas Gryta

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 20, 2021 15:19 ET (20:19 GMT)

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2024 to Apr 2024

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2023 to Apr 2024