Jonathan Braun, of Lawrence, whose drug sentence was commuted by Trump during first term, is rearrested, court documents show

A drug dealer whose 10-year federal sentence was commuted by President Donald Trump has been arrested for a third time since his release from prison, this time for allegedly groping his child's nanny, according to court records

Jonathan Braun, 41, of Lawrence, was arrested on Feb. 28 and charged with forcible touching for grabbing the woman’s left breast, the criminal complaint says.

Braun came into the woman’s room at 6:25 a.m. on Feb. 15, sat down on her bed and molested her, court documents show. 

"The victim states that she did not give [Braun] permission or authority to do this," an affidavit by Nassau police Det. Joseph Sicari states.

Braun pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Nassau District Court and was released on $150,000 cash bail, according to court records. He's due back before the judge on March 26.

His defense attorney, Robert Caliendo, declined to comment.

Trump commuted Braun's federal sentence on Jan. 19, 2021, after he served a year behind bars, but required him to continue under post-release supervision.

U.S. District Court Judge Kiyo Matsumoto appears to be monitoring his recent three arrests but has not ordered him to return to prison.

Braun was arrested at his Atlantic Beach home last August and charged with two separate crimes.   Between May and July last year, authorities say he drove a white Lamborghini Urus  and a black Ferrari convertible — neither bearing license plates — through the Atlantic Beach tollbooth about 40 times without paying, racking up $160 in unpaid fines.

According to a lawsuit against Braun filed by Allstate Insurance, a Lamborghini, a Bentley and a Mercedes were stolen from his property on Pacific Boulevard in 2022. The insurance company  alleges that Braun tried to take out a policy on the luxury cars after they were stolen. It’s unclear if this is the same car. . 

On the same day in August that he was charged with toll evasion, Braun was also  charged with three counts of assault after his wife told police he shoved her to the ground and punched her in the head repeatedly, according to a criminal complaint. The domestic argument spilled out of the house, where Braun’s father-in-law tried to intervene to protect his daughter and said Braun punched him repeatedly in the head as well, according to a signed affidavit.

The domestic assault case has been closed and sealed after, sources said,  the wife and father-in-law became reluctant to cooperate with prosecutors.

Braun's federal case goes back to 2009, when Brooklyn prosecutors accused him of running a multimillion dollar hydroponic marijuana smuggling operation, moving the drug across the Canadian border to stash houses on Staten Island and in Brooklyn. Authorities said he controlled his operation through threats and violence. He absconded to Israel for a few years and when he returned, the judge sentenced him to 10 years in prison on two of six counts, marijuana importation and money laundering conspiracy.

In the time between  Braun's return to the  United States and his sentencing, the New York attorney general  sued Braun and his employer, Richmond Capital Group, claiming they issued fraudulent and "astronomically high" loans to small businesses, and then Braun, acting as an enforcer, threatened them when they couldn’t pay.

"Braun has regularly called merchants’ representatives and harassed, insulted, sworn at, and threatened them," the lawsuit said. "He has told them that he knows where they live and threatened to seize their assets, destroy their businesses, and do violence to them and their families."

He was forced to pay $20 million in restitution.

Braun began the prison term for the marijuana charges in January 2020, more than 10 years after he was charged  with the crime, in the federal lockup in upstate Otisville.

After Braun's August arrest, the district court judge agreed to modify the conditions of his release so that Braun’s "financial condition, payments and mental health treatment shall be closely monitored" by the Eastern District of New York Probation Office.

The judge sealed the records regarding the modification of his release without explanation.

It is unclear  whether Braun would be forced to return to prison if he is found to have violated the terms of his post-release supervision.

The probation department had no comment.