Trump pardons long-distance runner who took a shortcut during record-breaking race: ‘Nightmare is over’
Long-distance runner who faced jail time for taking shortcut pardoned by Trump
- Donald Trump issued a presidential pardon to long-distance runner Michelino Sunseri, who was accused of taking an illegal shortcut during a record-setting race.
- Sunseri had set a new record for racing up and down the tallest mountain in Grand Teton National Park but was charged by the National Parks Service for using a restricted trail.
- He was convicted of a misdemeanor and faced a fine up to $5,000 or six months in jail before Trump's intervention, which his lawyers stated ended his “nightmare.”
- The White House justified Trump's pardon by calling Sunseri's case “a prime example of excessive prosecution” and “overregulation.”
- Sunseri's legal team argued the regulations were unconstitutional and that other runners had used the trail without consequence, causing no damage to the park.