President Donald Trump has granted a full pardon to former Republican Congressman Steve Buyer, wiping clean a conviction that saw the Indiana lawmaker found guilty of insider trading tied to one of the biggest telecom mergers in recent memory.
The pardon, announced on June 4, lands just months after Buyer was released from prison in 2025 following nearly two years behind bars.
What Buyer actually did
The case centered on the blockbuster T-Mobile/Sprint merger, which was announced in April 2018. Buyer, who had transitioned from Congress to consulting work after leaving office in 2011, allegedly used nonpublic information about the deal to trade ahead of the announcement.
In March 2023, a jury convicted him on four counts of securities fraud. He pocketed more than $300,000 from the trades.
That September, a judge sentenced him to 22 months in federal prison. Buyer served nearly the full stint before his release in 2025.
The pardon and its backers
The White House proclamation accompanying the pardon described his military and congressional service as “distinguished and highly productive.”
Buyer served in Congress from 2003 to 2011, representing Indiana’s 4th district.
The pardon came with endorsements from a roster of prominent Republican figures. Senators Roger Wicker and Lindsey Graham both backed the effort, as did former House Speaker John Boehner.
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