Isaac Toussie
Isaac Toussie (born c. 1972) is a Brooklyn, New York real estate developer, who was convicted in 2001 of fraudulently obtaining mortgages from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Toussie plead guilty on May 24, 2001 to making false statements to the Department. He subsequently plead guilty to related charges of mail fraud on December 10, 2002.[1] Toussie is also accused of deceiving impoverished and minority home-buyers into purchasing defective and overpriced properties.[2] Isaac Toussie and his father are co-defendants in an ongoing class action suit, brought by 400 mostly-minority families who claim they were sold shoddily-constructed properties at inflated prices, and told that property taxes would be reduced or deferred.[3]
On December 23, 2008, President George W. Bush granted a pardon to Toussie, angering people who felt Toussie had defrauded them.[4] However, the pardon was withdrawn the next day, following media reports that Toussie's father, Robert Toussie, had given more than US$30,000 to the Republican Party and individual Republican politicians.[2][4] White House press secretary Dana Perino stated that the pardon would be reviewed. A White House press release read, in part:
Based on information that has subsequently come to light, the President has directed the Pardon Attorney not to execute and deliver a Grant of Clemency to Mr. Toussie. The Pardon Attorney has not provided a recommendation on Mr. Toussie's case because it was filed less than five years from completion of his sentence. The President believes that the Pardon Attorney should have an opportunity to review this case before a decision on clemency is made.[2]
The action by Mr. Bush to revoke the pardon is considered unprecedented, although the Justice Department has stated that the pardon was never official, having never been delivered to the person who requested it, and that Mr. Toussie would have no legal ground on which to challenge the withdrawal.[3]
References
- ^ "United State of America, Memorandum and Order against Isaac Toussie" (PDF). United States District Court, Eastern District of New York. August 29, 2005. Retrieved 26-12-2008.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ a b c "Isaac Toussie". mahalo.com. Retrieved 26-12-2008.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ a b Belson, Ken (December 25, 2008). "A Father, a Son, and a Short-Lived Presidential Pardon". The New York Times. Retrieved 26-12-2008.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Stout, David (December 24, 2008). "Pardon Lasts One Day for Man in Fraud Case". The New York Times. Retrieved 26-12-2008.
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