A pardon lobbyist, $500,000 demand and alleged enforcer lead to extortion charge in New York

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal authorities in New York arrested and charged a lobbyist working on behalf of a former nursing home operator was recently pardoned by President Donald Trump in an attempt to force a former client and his son to pay him $500,000, according to documents.

Joshua Nass, 34, of Charleston, South Carolina, is scheduled to appear before a magistrate judge on Saturday on an attempted extortion charge that was undisclosed Friday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York said. If convicted, Nass could face up to 20 years in prison.

Court documents allege that starting in January, Nass recruited and agreed to pay what the government called a confidential witness to coerce the former client and force his son into paying the amount Nass claimed he was owed for his client’s services. The father and son are named only as “John Doe 1” and “John Doe 2” in court documents.

James Barnacle Jr., assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York field office. “Instead of representing his client honestly, Joshua Nass allegedly chose to shake his client by hiring a practitioner to extort payment,” a press release said. he said. “The FBI prioritizes crushing violent crimes and extortion schemes.”

Joseph Schwartz is listed as a client on a federal lobbying disclosure form filed with the U.S. House and Senate on Jan. 15, digitally signed by Nass and covering the last three months of 2025. The form stated that the firm founded by Nass generated an estimated $100,000 in revenue from lobbying activities for the reporting period and that its lobbying topics included “advocacy for federal presidential pardons.”

Trump pardoned a man named Joseph Schwartz in November, who pleaded guilty in federal court in 2024. for his role in a $38 million employment tax fraud scheme. It includes nursing homes it owns across the country. Schwartz operated New Jersey-based Skyline Management Group.

Reached by phone, U.S. Attorney’s Office spokesman John Marzulli said Saturday he had no comment on whether the allegations against Nass were related to activities involving Schwartz.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Nass was arrested outside his hotel in New York on Friday, the same day he was waiting to interview the secret witness.

Nass’ attorney did not immediately respond to email and text messages seeking comment on the case.

Nass agreed to provide lobbying services to his client in December, and the client signed an agreement to pay Nass $600,000 for the services, according to a letter from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The letter stated that his son had helped arrange a $100,000 payment, but that he could not pay the full amount in this case and that Nass wanted “a payment plan,” which he viewed as an “insult.”

Nass, who is also a licensed attorney in New York, told the witness to go to his son’s home in the New York area to enforce payment, but the son closed the door on him after being told Nass had sent him, according to court documents.

Between January and March, Nass and the witness discussed ways the witness could extort payment, including attacking the son or forcing him into a car with masked men and threatening him, the government reported. An FBI agent’s signed statement said Nass said he did not want the witness to treat his son “like a human being.”