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In an unexpected turn of events, former President Donald Trump has granted clemency to an athlete facing legal repercussions after setting a record in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park. Michelino Sunseri, 33, had achieved a remarkable feat by scaling the 13,775-foot peak in an impressive two hours, 50 minutes, and 10 seconds, earning him the fastest known time for the ascent last September.
However, Sunseri’s triumph was soon overshadowed by legal troubles. Federal prosecutors charged him with a misdemeanor, claiming that the athlete, who is sponsored by North Face, had veered off onto a restricted social trail during his record-breaking climb.
In a court ruling this past September, Sunseri was found guilty of the charge, a verdict that carried the potential for serious consequences, including a $5,000 fine and a ban from entering the national park.
In a surprising development, Sunseri’s legal woes have been alleviated by a presidential pardon, effectively erasing the misdemeanor conviction and its accompanying penalties. This act of clemency from the former president has lifted the shadow over Sunseri’s remarkable athletic achievement, allowing him to continue his pursuits without the burden of legal repercussions.
Now, he has suddenly been pardoned by the US president.
Sunseri wrote on Facebook: ‘In an unbelievable twist that even Hollywood couldn’t write, I woke up this morning to find out I’ve been given a PRESIDENTIAL PARDON from Donald J. Trump.’
He added: ‘Seriously. You can’t make this stuff up. It’s only fitting that something this absurd from the start ends in an equally surreal way.’
Sunseri’s pardon was signed by Trump last Friday and announced by the runner on Monday, who celebrated: ‘The trail trial of the century is officially over.’
Michelino Sunseri, 33, set a new fastest time for going up and down the Grand Teton last September
Sunseri said he was ‘absolutely, incredibly grateful’ at being pardoned by Trump, but added that his case ‘never should’ve gotten this far.’
‘This case was a massive waste of taxpayer money and government energy from the start,’ he said.
‘Something that should’ve easily been resolved back in September 2024 when I offered community service to close the trail for good. Unfortunately, instead of working with me, the system tried to make an example of me.’
Sunseri’s legal team had argued that other trail runners had taken the same route as him ‘without consequence.’
When Sunseri covered the Grand Teton last year, he left the main trail and entered one the Park Service had deemed as closed to the public.
The athlete was charged with violating federal law related to preserving natural, cultural and archeological resources.
The Grand Teton is the highest mountain of the Teton Range in Wyoming, with a peak that reaches 13,775 feet
Sunseri’s pardon was signed by Trump last Friday and announced by the runner on Monday (Mandatory credit: Photo by Craig Hudson)
Sunseri was found guilty of a misdemeanor in September, although he was offered a plea deal the following month which entailed 60 hours of community service, an educational course and a year of probation.
A sentencing hearing had been scheduled for November 18, SFGATE reported, although that will no longer be necessary following Trump’s pardon of Sunseri.
Sunseri wrote that his pardon was not about politics, but about ‘fairness and common sense.’
Rienzie, one of Sunseri’s lawyers, thanked Wyoming Rep. Harriet Hageman and Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs – both Republicans – on X.
In July, Hageman and Biggs wrote to the acting US Attorney in Wyoming, Stephanie Sprecher, about Sunseri’s case.
They called it ‘a prime example of the problem of overcriminalization’ in the US.
The Republican officials pointed to an May 9 executive order signed by Trump, which said that the US was ‘drastically overregulated’ and called to fight ‘overcriminalization in federal regulations.’
The Daily Mail reached out to Sunseri for further comment.