Lawyer Tied to Trump Faces Charges in Alleged Violent Extortion Scheme
FBI agents arrested Joshua Nass, a 34-year-old lobbyist and attorney, on Friday in New York, charging him with attempted extortion involving a former client. The allegations suggest he sought to extract $500,000 under the pretense of unpaid lobbying services.
Nass, who previously assisted in securing a presidential pardon for Joseph Schwartz, faces serious legal repercussions if convicted, potentially up to 20 years in prison. His initial court appearance is set for Saturday.
While officials have not confirmed a direct link between the extortion attempt and the pardon, court documents indicate that Schwartz and his son were the targets of Nass's alleged scheme. Prosecutors assert that Nass attempted to coerce payment from the former client, claiming it was owed for lobbying work.
According to court filings, Nass had initially agreed to provide lobbying services for $600,000. After receiving a $100,000 payment from the client’s son, he resorted to intimidation tactics when the remaining balance was not forthcoming.
“As alleged, Nass plotted the violent extortion of one of his own clients and hired an individual to ‘do anything and everything’ to force the client’s son to pay for services,” stated U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella, Jr.
FBI Assistant Director James Barnacle emphasized the severity of the situation, noting that rather than representing his client honestly, Nass allegedly opted for coercion by hiring an enforcer.
Nass is accused of recruiting an accomplice to act as an enforcer, providing personal information about the client’s son and instructing the individual to confront him at home. Reports indicate that the son refused to engage when approached.
Between January and March 2026, Nass reportedly made multiple attempts to strategize with another individual on how to pressure the former client and his son into paying. Discussions included potential physical confrontations or even kidnapping scenarios involving masked men.
At one point, Nass allegedly remarked that if the son did not comply with payment demands, he could not act like a “human being” toward him.
Authorities claim Nass promised at least $15,000 to his accomplice for assistance in the extortion plot, providing an upfront payment of $5,000 with the remainder contingent on successful collection from the son.
A federal lobbying disclosure form filed in January revealed that Nass listed Joseph Schwartz as a client during the last quarter of 2025. The form indicated that his firm earned approximately $100,000 for lobbying efforts, including activities related to “federal presidential pardon advocacy.”
This aligns with Schwartz's pardon by Trump in November 2025 after pleading guilty in 2024 for involvement in a $38 million employment tax fraud scheme linked to his nursing home operations.
Nass was apprehended outside a New York hotel on the same day he was scheduled to meet with a cooperating witness who aided investigators in building their case. His attorney has yet to respond to inquiries regarding the situation.
Representatives for Nass have been contacted through his website for comments, as well as officials at the White House.
