With the Department of Justice embroiled in criticism over its handling of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Attorney General Pam Bondi is facing renewed questions over her brother, Brad Bondi, and his unusual winning streak in cases involving the DOJ.
In recent months, the department has faced questions about whether it has “properly implemented firewalls and screening procedures to separate Attorney General Bondi from her brother,” per a letter sent by members of Congress in December.
In the letter, lawmakers detail recent cases in which Brad Bondi has been able to achieve favorable outcomes for his clients, even those facing long odds, in their case. For example, Bondi served as the lead attorney for billionaire Trevor Milton, who was convicted of defrauding investors in 2022, in a scheme in which Milton made misleading statements targeting “retail investors.” For this, Milton was sentenced to four years in prison — however, President Donald Trump pardoned Milton in March 2025.
So far the department has managed to dodge these and other questions about the attorney general’s brother, and the victories he’s been able to deliver his clients in cases dealing with the department his sister oversees.
Lawmakers have also questioned the circumstances of two cases from last summer that the DOJ dropped after Brad Bondi joined the legal team of the defense. In August, the DOJ dropped charges against developer Sid Chakraverty, who was accused of wire fraud and lying to secure favorable tax incentives. This came only weeks after Brad Bondi joined Chakraverty’s legal team, though Chakraverty claims that Bondi had been working on the case in an unofficial capacity since before the 2024 election.
A similar situation played out in the case of Carolina Amesty, a former Florida state House Republican, accused of fraudulently obtaining $122,000 of small business loans during the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. attorney on the case, Gregory Kehoe, however, requested that the case be dismissed, without providing a reason, shortly after Brad Bondi joined Amesty’s legal team. Bondi was hired shortly after the 2024 election and after Trump made clear his intention to nominate Pam Bondi as attorney general.
In a statement on X, Amesty claimed that the case was dismissed because her legal team “masterfully refuted all the false allegations against me and cleared my name.”
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These and other unusual victories for Bondi’s clients prompted lawmakers to demand various documents relating to cases that he has worked on, as well as the names of individuals who reviewed and approved decisions on these cases and their rationale for doing so, giving Pam Bondi and the DOJ, until Jan. 2 to respond.
So far, however, the department has managed to dodge these and other questions about the attorney general’s brother, and the victories he’s been able to deliver his clients in cases dealing with the department his sister oversees.
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Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md. told Salon in a statement “The DOJ under Pam Bondi has not been guided by the rule of law, but rather the political grievances and personal motivations of Donald Trump and his allies.”
“That’s why the DOJ’s interventions benefiting the attorney general’s brother are all the more suspect, and require additional scrutiny and full transparency for the American people,” Van Hollen said. “The department’s lack of response to this letter indicates they want to keep the truth hidden. We will continue to pursue the records related to DOJ’s involvement in cases with connections to Brad Bondi – this is essential for upholding the integrity of our Department of Justice.”
Neither the DOJ nor Brad Bondi responded to Salon’s request for comment.
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