President Joe Biden commuted the sentence of Andrew LaVigne, a Lansing accountant convicted of fraud and money laundering in 2019.
The Ithaca Voice reports that while LaVigne’s conviction remains, his punishment was shortened. Initially sentenced to 87 months in prison and $3.6 million in restitution, LaVigne, 72, had already been under house arrest since 2023 due to health concerns.
LaVigne’s crimes included hiding assets during bankruptcy and defrauding an elderly victim of $3.6 million for personal gain.
Despite his commutation, he remains obligated to repay restitution, though only $800,000 has been recovered so far. The clemency decision leaves unanswered questions about how LaVigne’s case came to the president’s attention.