Joshua Nass, the attorney who runs the lobbying firm Merkava Strategies and who helped a nursing home owner obtain a presidential pardon, was indicted on extortion charges in Brooklyn federal court, according to documents made public Thursday evening.
The federal indictment counts Nass on six criminal counts arising from an alleged effort to extort money from three individuals. Court filings say the scheme involved attempting to coerce payment of $500,000.
Prosecutors allege that Nass, who was arrested in March, hired another person to intimidate a former client and that client’s son to secure the payment. The court papers did not identify the former client by name. Two people familiar with the case, however, told reporters the individual was Joseph Schwartz, the nursing home owner who was granted a pardon last year.
Previous court records had indicated Nass was engaged in plea discussions with federal prosecutors. The new indictment moves the matter forward toward trial and indicates those discussions have not produced a plea agreement.
Nass has not entered a plea in the case. His attorney, Henry Mazurek, issued a statement denying the allegations and characterizing the charges as manufactured. "Nass had never harassed, threatened or committed violence against anyone," Mazurek said, and added that the case was "created" by the government and an informant. He further stated, "Josh never took the government’s bait. This indictment is an attempt to humiliate Josh for doing the work of obtaining pardons for those serving long prison sentences."
A spokesperson for the Brooklyn U.S. Attorney’s office declined to comment on the indictment.
Public lobbying records show Nass agreed to represent the person identified in connection with a petition for a presidential pardon. The individual at the center of that representation, Joseph Schwartz, received a pardon on November 14, three months after beginning a three-year prison term for a tax fraud conviction, according to the court documents.
The indictment outlines the charges and sets the case on a path toward adjudication in federal court. At this stage, the records reflect ongoing legal proceedings, an absence of a entered plea by the defendant, and conflicting public statements from the defense and a non-comment from the U.S. Attorney’s office.
Contextual note: The indictment and statements in the public record describe the alleged conduct and the status of prosecutorial discussions, but do not establish a conviction. Questions remain in public filings about the identity of certain individuals named in court papers where they were not formally identified.