New York, June 14, 2026, 13:12 (ET)
- Frank founder Charlie Javice, who was convicted of fraud over the JPMorgan deal, has been looking into a possible presidential pardon.
- She got an 85-month prison sentence in 2025 for the $175 million Frank sale.
- The case is still moving through appeals, SEC civil claims, and JPMorgan’s legal bill dispute.
Frank founder Charlie Javice has been looking for a presidential pardon from President Donald Trump after her conviction for defrauding JPMorgan Chase in its $175 million Frank acquisition, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday, citing people familiar. Seeking Alpha flagged the story to investors, saying Javice was seeking clemency following the conviction.
The push for a pardon injects politics into the high-profile startup-fraud case. The Wall Street Journal said Javice hasn’t shown up on the Justice Department’s official pardon list, as the Trump team reviews clemency pleas ahead of the U.S.’s 250th birthday. The Justice Department’s clemency page still shows previous Trump-era pardons and commutations for white-collar and financial crimes but doesn’t mention Javice.
Javice got 85 months in prison in September 2025 after a Manhattan federal jury convicted her of conspiracy, wire fraud, bank fraud and securities fraud. The Justice Department said she faked numbers about Frank’s user base to get JPMorgan to buy the firm, saying Frank had 4.25 million users when it really had around 300,000.
U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein told the court during sentencing that deterrence is important in white-collar crime, adding, “Honesty in a market is required.” Charlie Javice spoke before sentencing, saying, “Not a day passes that I do not feel profound remorse,” according to Reuters. Reuters
JPMorgan picked up Frank in 2021 hoping to get access to younger customers, but found out after the deal that most of the customer list didn’t respond to email efforts. CEO Jamie Dimon later called it a “huge mistake,” Reuters reported. Reuters
Javice still has backing from some supporters and former investors, the Journal reported. Among them is Marc Rowan, Apollo Global Management’s CEO, who testified in her defense and sent a letter to Judge Hellerstein asking for leniency. JPMorgan went after a trust overseen by Rowan in a suit to get back cash related to the Frank deal; that case settled and terms weren’t made public, according to the Journal.
Case still ongoing. In March 2026, Reuters said Hellerstein refused to dismiss Javice’s conviction over alleged clerk conflicts. The judge called the evidence strong and said, “there is no concern here that an innocent person may have been convicted.” Javice is appealing. The SEC is bringing its own civil case related to the Frank deal. Reuters
JPMorgan is still in a court fight over legal fees tied to the case. Reuters said Frank co-executive Olivier Amar got a 68-month prison sentence in November 2025. JPMorgan has pushed a Delaware judge to stop its court-ordered payments for Javice’s and Amar’s legal costs, telling the court those bills have hit $115 million.
