# Michael Milken 1980s "junk bond king" at Drexel Burnham Lambert; pleaded guilty to securities violations (1990), served 22 months, and was banned from the securities industry for life. Rehabilitated his image through the Milken Institute and medical philanthropy; **pardoned by [[Donald Trump]] in February 2020** — one of the marquee finance pardons of the first term. Attended the April 2024 [[Musk-Sacks Anti-Biden Dinner]], placing him in the 2024 anti-Democrat donor-strategy conversation. Pattern node: pardon-as-network-favor (compare [[Anthony Levandowski]]). ## See Also - [[Musk-Sacks Anti-Biden Dinner]] — 2024 donor positioning (stub — to be expanded)