Kidan, Adam

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The president also pardoned Adam Kidan, a major donor to Republicans, including Mr. Trump. He had served about two and a half years in prison for his role in a fraud scheme involving the disgraced former lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Mr. Kidan had pleaded guilty in 2005 to conspiracy and fraud charges involving his purchase of a casino boat fleet with Mr. Abramoff, who became a poster child for Washington corruption in the pre-Trump era.
Mr. Abramoff and Mr. Kidan were each sentenced to 70 months in prison and ordered to pay a total of $21.7 million in restitution related to the $147.5 million purchase of a cruise ship line in 2000.
Mr. Kidan served less than half of that prison sentence and became an executive in the staffing industry.
Mr. Kidan declined to comment.

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Adam Ronald Kidan (born 30 July 1964) is an American business executive, Republican political donor, and disbarred lawyer who serves as president of the staffing company Empire Workforce Solutions.^[1][2] He is best known for his role in the fraudulent SunCruz Casinos sale of 2000, undertaken with Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff, which became entangled with the mob-style murder of SunCruz founder Konstantinos "Gus" Boulis and contributed to the wider Abramoff lobbying scandal.^[3]

Kidan pleaded guilty to conspiracy and wire fraud in 2005 and was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison in 2006, which he served for 31 months before being released in 2009.^[4][5] After his release, he built two staffing firms and became one of the largest Republican donors in Pennsylvania and at Mar-a-Lago.^[6] On 3 July 2026, U.S. president Donald Trump granted him a full federal pardon.^[7][8]

Early life and education

Kidan spent his early life in Brooklyn, New York into a Jewish family.^[9] He attended John Dewey High School, where he served as president of the Social Science Club and editor-in-chief of the school newspaper, The Gadfly.^[10]

He attended George Washington University as an undergraduate and earned a Juris Doctor from Brooklyn Law School in 1989, where he was awarded the American Jurisprudence Award in legal writing and research.^[10] During this period he was active in the national office of the College Republicans.^[11]

Career

Early business ventures and law practice

Kidan was admitted to the New York bar in 1989 and joined a New York City law firm, later a partner in Duncan, Fish, Bergson and Kidan.^[10][12] While practising law, he also ran a small chain of bagel stores in the New York area, "New York City's Best Bagels", which he later sold.^[12] In 1994, he opened a Dial-A-Mattress franchise in Washington, D.C., where he became a locally recognizable figure through the company's "leave the last 'S' off for savings" advertising campaign.^[13][14][15] The franchise expanded to several stores before contracting, and Kidan filed for personal bankruptcy in 1995 following a legal dispute with the parent company.^[12][14] He sold the franchise back to Dial-A-Mattress in July 1999, and an associated online venture, eMattress.com, collapsed the same year.^[13][12]

Kidan was disbarred by the New York Supreme Court's Appellate Division in November 2000 in connection with an ethics matter, and was subsequently reciprocally disbarred in New Jersey.^[12][16]

SunCruz Casinos and criminal case

In September 2000, Kidan and Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff acquired the SunCruz Casinos fleet of offshore gambling boats from Greek-American businessman Konstantinos "Gus" Boulis for a nominal purchase price of US$147.5 million.^[11][17] Federal prosecutors later alleged that the two men had submitted a counterfeit wire transfer document to lenders to make it appear that they had made a US$23 million equity contribution to the deal, thereby inducing two lenders to provide approximately US$60 million in financing.^[17][18] On December 15, 2005, he pleaded guilty to fraud and conspiracy charges; as part of a plea bargain, four other felony counts against him were dropped.^[11][18]

Following the sale, Kidan and Boulis fell into a bitter dispute over the operation of SunCruz. Boulis was shot to death in a mob-style attack while driving in Fort Lauderdale on 6 February 2001. ^[19] Two of the three men later charged with the murder, Anthony "Big Tony" Moscatiello, a former bookkeeper for the Gambino crime family, and Anthony "Little Tony" Ferrari, had been hired as consultants by Kidan after his relationship with Boulis deteriorated.^[19][20] Kidan denied any involvement in the killing.^[18]

In August 2005, a federal grand jury in Fort Lauderdale indicted Kidan and Abramoff on one count of conspiracy and five counts of wire fraud in connection with the SunCruz purchase.^[17] On 15 December 2005, Kidan pleaded guilty in Miami federal court to conspiracy and wire fraud as part of a plea bargain in which four additional felony counts were dropped; he also agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in the ongoing investigation of Abramoff.^[18][21] In March 2006, Kidan and Abramoff were each sentenced to 70 months in federal prison and jointly ordered to pay approximately US$21.7 million in restitution to the defrauded lenders.^[4][2]

Kidan was released from federal custody in 2009 after serving 31 months.^[5] In 2010, he was subpoenaed to testify in the conspiracy trial of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, for whom he had previously been a fundraiser, concerning DeLay's relationship with Abramoff.^[22] In 2013, he testified for the prosecution at Ferrari's Broward County murder trial, stating that Ferrari and Moscatiello had confessed to him that they had orchestrated Boulis's killing and had threatened his life if he ever disclosed it; Ferrari was convicted, and Moscatiello was later convicted in a separate trial.^[20][23]

Staffing companies

After his release, Kidan entered the staffing industry. In 2011, he cofounded Chartwell Staffing Services, Inc. (Chartwell Staffing Solutions), a temporary staffing company with operations in California, and served as its chairman and chief executive officer from around 2012 until 2018. Chartwell was later acquired by Partners Personnel in 2023.^[1]

Around the time of his resignation from Chartwell, Kidan moved to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, settling in Manheim Township.^[1] In March 2019, he co-founded Atlantic Solutions Group, a Delaware-based company that trades as Empire Workforce Solutions, and became its president.^[2]

Political donations and 2026 pardon

Adam Kidan with former Vice President of the United States, Mike Pence

Kidan became a major donor to Republican candidates and committees after his release from prison. Since 2017, he has contributed at least US$350,000 in direct and in-kind contributions to political committees affiliated with U.S. Representative Lloyd Smucker of Pennsylvania, making him one of Smucker's largest individual donors.^[1][6] He also became a member of Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club, where in February 2023 he married Cristiani De Fatima Pereira, and hosted fundraisers for Republican candidates including Pennsylvania state treasurer Stacy Garrity.^[1][2] Between April 2023 and February 2024, he contributed a total of US$750,000 to the pro-Trump Super PAC Make America Great Again Inc.^[2]

On 3 July 2026, President Donald Trump granted Kidan a full pardon for his 2006 fraud and conspiracy convictions, one of eleven pardons issued that day.^[1][24] The pardon was expected to eliminate the remaining balance of his restitution obligation, which had been accumulating interest since 2006.^[25]

Three days before the pardon, Kidan donated to the leadership political action committee of Ryan Mackenzie, a Republican member of Congress from Pennsylvania then facing a competitive re-election contest.^[8][26] Mackenzie's office stated that the congressman had never advocated for the pardon.^[7][26]

Personal life

Kidan has been married twice. His first marriage was to Tracy Schneider, with whom he has a daughter, Sloane.^[6][9] Schneider was the sole shareholder of Chartwell Staffing Services, which the couple built together.^[6] Kidan initiated divorce proceedings in Pennsylvania in 2017, and the separation gave rise to protracted litigation over control of Chartwell and related trade secrets claims filed in California federal court in 2019.^[27][28]

In February 2023, Kidan married Brazilian-born Cristiani De Fatima Pereira, some 23 years his junior, in a ceremony at Mar-a-Lago attended by Donald Trump and Melania Trump, with a performance by tenor Andrea Bocelli.^[2][29] He resides in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.^[2]

In popular culture

Kidan was portrayed by Jon Lovitz in the 2010 biographical satire Casino Jack, directed by George Hickenlooper and starring Kevin Spacey as Abramoff.^[30]

References...

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U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie said he’s returned a campaign donation received by a GOP megadonor recently pardoned by President Donald Trump, amid claims of corruption from Democrats seeking to unseat him in the November election, which he has denied.

According to Federal Election Commission records, Mackenzie’s leadership political action committee received $2,600 from Adam Kidan on June 30. Kidan is a prolific GOP donor who has donated hundreds of thousands to Republican causes during past election cycles.

Mackenzie’s leadership PAC, called Mackenzie for America, raised $116,033 during the second quarter of 2026 and $349,000 in total, so Kidan’s contribution is a small fraction of Mackenzie’s fundraising. Candidates running for reelection use leadership PACs to fundraise for their own campaigns as well as the campaigns of other candidates from their same party.

Kidan is a business executive and lawyer who served 31 months in prison between 2006 and 2009 on fraud and conspiracy charges in connection to the fraudulent sale of the business scheme SunCruz Casinos.

He received a pardon from Trump on July 3.

Mackenzie appeared jointly with Trump during the president’s visit to Mack Trucks in Lehigh County on June 23.

The Morning Call reported on Kidan’s campaign contribution to Mackenzie in a July 20 story. According to Mackenzie’s spokesperson Arnaud Armstrong, the congressman has already returned Kidan’s donation “to avoid even an appearance of impropriety.”

“The suggestion that any contribution was related to a pardon is ridiculous and has absolutely zero basis in any fact,” Armstrong said in a statement.

He added that Mackenzie has “never advocated for a pardon from the President on anyone’s behalf.”

That’s exactly what Democrats have been suggesting since the donation became public in recent finance reports.

In a story reported by NOTUS, a spokesperson for Mackenzie’s opponent, Democrat Bob Brooks, called the donation to Mackenzie “corruption in plain sight.” Spokespersons for other Democratic groups have made similar claims in campaign emails and other public statements.

Armstrong denied that the campaign contribution and Kidan’s federal pardon are connected.

Congress has no formal power over presidential pardons. Trump has pardoned more than 1,750 people in his second term, including dozens of political allies and more than 1,500 people involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol; Mackenzie has said he opposes the pardon of rioters who committed violence or destroyed property in an interview.

Kidan is a prolific GOP donor who gave around $270,000 to Trump-affiliated campaign groups during the 2024 election cycle and has hosted fundraisers at Trump’s golf course Mar-a-Lago, according to the NOTUS report.

In 2026, Kidan also donated to other Republican candidates in Pennsylvania, including Reps. Rob Bresnahan, Brian Fitzpatrick and Scott Perry, and gubernatorial candidate Stacy Garrity.

Kidan’s contribution to Mackenzie’s leadership PAC is his most recently reported donation.

recoverfrom mafia node

Anthony 'Little Tony' Ferrari Guilty Of Murder In Florida Slaying

By CURT ANDERSON 10/25/13

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Anthony "Little Tony" Ferrari was convicted Friday of first-degree murder and murder conspiracy in the 2001 gangland-style slaying of a well-known South Florida businessman in a case that featured professional hit men, a bitter fight over lucrative casino gambling ships and a corrupt Washington lobbyist.

The jury returned the verdict after just over seven hours of deliberation in the death penalty case. They had been sequestered since testimony began Sept. 30.

Ferrari, 56, was accused along with Anthony "Big Tony" Moscatiello of orchestrating the slaying of former SunCruz Casinos owner Konstantinos "Gus" Boulis. Trial testimony showed that Boulis, 51, was fatally shot by a mob hit man Feb. 6, 2001, after the car he was driving was blocked in by another vehicle on a Fort Lauderdale street.

Jurors will return Dec. 16 for the penalty phase of the trial. Circuit Judge Ilona Holmes is not bound by the jury's recommendation on the death penalty but must give it great legal weight.

Ferrari showed no reaction when the verdict was read. Some members of the Boulis family broke down in tears as the long-running case neared its end.

The murder occurred during an increasingly acrimonious dispute over SunCruz, which Boulis had sold a few months earlier to businessman Adam Kidan and his partner, once-powerhouse lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Boulis had kept a 10 percent stake in the lucrative 11-ship fleet and wanted to regain control.

Kidan testified he contacted Moscatiello, whom he said was a member of New York's Gambino crime family, for protection and for his mob connections. Ferrari, witnesses said, was Moscatiello's main operative in South Florida and even claimed to be related to the infamous Gambino "Teflon Don," John Gotti.

Both Ferrari and Moscatiello had well-paying SunCruz contracts with Kidan in charge, arrangements that Assistant State Attorney Brian Cavanagh said they were willing to kill Boulis to keep.

"This is a case about greed. Muscling in to get their piece of the pie," Cavanagh said in a closing argument. "It's also about no regard for human life."

Moscatiello, 75, is also charged with murder but got a mistrial when his attorney became ill. Prosecutors said they will retry Moscatiello at a later date. A third defendant, James "Pudgy" Fiorillo, pleaded guilty to murder conspiracy charges and testified against both Ferrari and Moscatiello. He will likely be sentenced to the six years he has already spent in jail.

The cast of witnesses included convicted felons, admitted mob enforcers and professional killers. One of them, Peter "Bud" Zuccaro, is in the witness protection program after turning on his Gambino confederates; he testified under the false name "Nick DiMaggio." Zuccaro said he had committed numerous violent acts over a long mob career and that Moscatiello had offered him $100,000 to kill Boulis, which he refused.

The actual Boulis hit man, John "J.J." Gurino, was later shot and killed in a dispute with a Boca Raton deli owner. Before that, witnesses said he had bragged about being the "SunCruz Kid" and that he had gotten "the work" from Moscatiello.

Ferrari's attorney, Christopher Grillo, urged jurors to consider the checkered pasts of many witnesses and what they had to gain by testifying for the state, such as reduced prison terms.

"The state wants you to believe a bunch of drug dealers, killers and thieves," Grillo told jurors.

But Cavanagh had a ready reply: "Plots hatched in hell don't have angels for witnesses."

Ferrari testified in his own defense — against Grillo's advice — and claimed that Fiorillo had confessed to Boulis' murder and that Kidan was the one behind the plot. Fiorillo testified that his main role was surveillance and getting rid of the murder weapon, and Kidan said Ferrari and Moscatiello confessed the plot to him.

Kidan and Abramoff both did federal prison time after pleading guilty to fraud in the $147.5 million purchase of SunCruz from Boulis. Abramoff, who did not testify in the Boulis case, was the main figure in a separate Washington influence-peddling case that resulted in charges against 21 people on corruption charges.

SunCruz went bankrupt in the wake of the slaying of Boulis, a Greek immigrant who worked his way up from dishwasher to founding the successful Miami Subs restaurant chain.

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Trump pardoned megadonor who supported ...

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8 days ago — The megadonor, Adam Kidan, donated $2,600 to Mackenzie's leadership PAC on June 30, according to Federal Election Commission records. The ...