Trump Pardons Former Indiana Representative Stephen Buyer
President Donald Trump has granted a full and unconditional pardon to former U.S. Representative Stephen Buyer, an Indiana Republican who was convicted in an insider trading case and later served a prison sentence.
Buyer, who represented Indiana in Congress from 1993 to 2011, was found guilty in 2023 on charges related to securities fraud. Prosecutors said he used confidential information obtained through consulting work to make stock trades ahead of major business deals.
The former congressman maintained his innocence throughout the legal process and argued that the case against him was politically motivated.
Insider Trading Conviction Stemmed From Major Corporate Deals
Federal authorities accused Buyer of using non-public information connected to the merger between T-Mobile and Sprint in 2018, along with another corporate acquisition involving Navigant Consulting in 2019.
According to court records, the transactions generated more than $300,000 in profits. A jury convicted him on multiple counts, and he was sentenced to 22 months in prison. He was also ordered to forfeit the profits and pay a financial penalty.
His efforts to overturn the conviction failed, with the U.S. Supreme Court declining to hear his appeal earlier this year.
White House Cites Public Service and Support From Lawmakers
The White House said the pardon recognized Buyer’s years of military and congressional service. Officials also noted that dozens of current and former lawmakers had expressed support for clemency.
Buyer served in the U.S. Army before entering politics and was involved in several key congressional committees during his nearly two decades in office.
Presidential pardons remove legal penalties associated with federal convictions, although they do not erase the historical record of a case.
