Who Is Ken Kurson? Trump Pardon Recipient Charged

Ken Kurson is the former publisher of the New York Observer who received a pardon from Donald Trump. In August 2021, Kurson was charged with state crimes in New York.

Ken Kurson Charged With Cybercrimes. “Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance, Jr. today filed charges against KENNETH KURSON, 52, in New York County Criminal Court. KURSON is charged with Eavesdropping and Computer Trespass, each a class E felony, for unlawfully accessing communications of his then-wife from September 2015 through March 2016 while he served as Editor-In-Chief of Observer Media Group.” [Manhattan DA]

Kurson Accused Of Installing Spyware On Ex-Wife’s Computer. “Prosecutors have accused Mr. Kurson of having used spyware to access his then-wife’s computer in 2015 as their marriage fell apart. Each crime is punishable by up to four years in prison.” [NY Times]

Kurson Got Pardon In Final Days Of Trump Presidency. ” Kurson was among dozens of people Trump granted clemency to in January, including his former strategist Steve Bannon, the rapper Lil Wayne and former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, in one of his final official acts as president. ” [Bloomberg]

Kurson Wrote 2016 Speech For Trump. “Mr. Kurson’s tenure at the Observer started in 2013 and was marked by questions about his ties to Mr. Kushner and the Trump campaign, particularly when he acknowledged that he had worked on a speech delivered by Mr. Trump to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. After criticism, Mr. Kurson said that he would no longer offer input to the Trump campaign.” [NY Times]

DA Cy Vance: Trump Pardon Is Not “Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free Card.” ““We will not accept presidential pardons as get-out-of-jail-free cards for the well-connected in New York,” said District Attorney Vance. “As alleged in the complaint, Mr. Kurson launched a campaign of cybercrime, manipulation, and abuse from his perch at the New York Observer, and now the people of New York will hold him accountable. We encourage all survivors and witnesses of this type of cybercrime and intimate partner abuse to report these crimes to our Office.”” [Manhattan DA]

Kurson Charged With Cyberstalking In 2020. “Former Montclair resident Ken Kurson, a close friend of Jared Kushner’s and an associate of Rudolph Giuliani, President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, has been charged with cyberstalking three people and harassing two others, according to a criminal complaint filed Thursday in the public corruption unit of the United States attorney’s office in Brooklyn.” [NorthJersey.com]