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WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has officially included Gobble and Waddle, two Thanksgiving turkeys, in his list of second-term pardons.
This year, despite his focus on pardoning the turkeys, he has granted clemency to 83 individuals so far. Notably, among those pardoned is Imaad Shah Zuberi, an American-Pakistani, who appears twice on the list.
His first pardon was granted on May 28, 2025. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Zuberi was sentenced on February 18, 2021, to 12 years in prison, along with three years of supervised release, a $1.75 million fine, and over $15.7 million in restitution.
Zuberi’s offenses included violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, tax evasion, illegal contributions to foreign and conduit campaign funds, and witness tampering, which constituted obstruction of justice.
The commutation was later amended on October 1, 2025, and since then, Zuberi has reportedly been traveling abroad, with plans for future international trips, according to a reliable source in Washington, D.C.
The Office of the Pardon Attorney has not disclosed the reason behind Trump’s decision to pardon Zuberi. However, another source suggested, “Zuberi is back in action, and he has ambitious plans ahead.”
Who Is Zuberi?
On September 16, 2023, Geo News published an exclusive story titled “Who Trapped Disgraced US Diplomat Richard Olson,” shedding light on Zuberi’s involvement.
Originally from Karachi, Zuberi established himself as a venture capitalist and influential power broker in Los Angeles. He funded prominent U.S. politicians and was known to be a Democrat with close ties to top political figures, including the Clintons, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden.
Before his sentencing, Zuberi sought to influence foreign diplomats and build high-level political connections in multiple countries, including Pakistan. He offered to lobby on their behalf, leveraging his extensive political network in Washington, D.C., and abroad to secure business deals and gain influence with foreign officials.
In 2016, Zuberi, already under scrutiny for alleged criminal activities involving a Los Angeles-based foreign consulate, attracted attention from the FBI and IRS when he abruptly shifted his support from Hillary Clinton — whom he had financially backed — to Republican Donald Trump, with a $900,000 donation.
Sources confirmed that he was at Clinton’s headquarters in 2016, awaiting victory celebrations. However, when it became clear Trump would win, Zuberi quickly moved his allegiance and made a significant donation to Trump’s campaign, surprising many of his Democratic associates.
In June 2020, Zuberi pleaded guilty to federal charges of donating $900,000 through a shell company to Trump’s inaugural committee. Investigations revealed that part of this contributed funds originated from foreign sources and undisclosed donors.
Zuberi was also involved in international dealings, working with entities such as the Qatari government to collect large fees under the pretense of lobbying. He developed a close relationship with Richard Olson, former U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan and the UAE, who later faced legal issues for undisclosed lobbying activities.
Olson, after leaving government service, founded Medicine Bear International Consulting LLC. He was criminally charged for his role in influencing Qatari lobbying efforts while omitting his trip to London paid for by Zuberi. Olson eventually pleaded guilty in June 2022.
Court documents revealed that Olson had met with Zuberi in Islamabad in March 2013 when Olson was ambassador. Over the next few years, Zuberi frequently sought Olson’s assistance on business matters and engaged in attempts to influence U.S.-Pakistan diplomatic issues, including efforts to remove a Pakistani diplomat in Los Angeles.
Zuberi also tried to bribe consulate staff to gather intelligence and used his connections to influence U.S. policy on issues such as the Qatar-Gaza relationship and sanctions on Bahraini individuals. He falsely claimed to have made significant U.S. investments to bolster his lobbying efforts.
Throughout these activities, Zuberi failed to report millions of dollars he received from the Sri Lankan government in 2014, intended for lobbying on human rights issues, and violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
Two U.S. officials familiar with these matters confirmed that Zuberi, a Pakistani-American with an Indian mother, orchestrated the illegal payments and lobbying efforts.
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