Trump pardons Pat Nolan, former GOP lawmaker caught up in 'Shrimpscam' sting

Donald Trump.
(Image credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

President Trump on Wednesday pardoned Pat Nolan, a former Republican lawmaker from California who was convicted in the 1990s as part of an FBI sting operation dubbed "Shrimpscam."

Nolan was elected to the California State Assembly in 1978, and served as the GOP leader from 1984 to 1988. Shrimpscam targeted politicians who used their positions to solicit illegal campaign donations, and Nolan was caught on camera accepting checks from an undercover FBI agent, the Los Angeles Times reports. He pleaded guilty to one count of racketeering, and served time in prison.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.