Dossier

Charles Kushner

Charles Kushner is a New Jersey real estate developer who founded Kushner Companies, was convicted of tax evasion and witness tampering in 2005, received a presidential pardon in 2020, and was appointed U.S. Ambassador to France in 2025. His record spans real estate development, federal banking enforcement actions, political donations to both major parties, and diplomatic service.

Jeffrey Epstein

12 findings 5 connections 0 entities

Snapshot

Updated: 2026-02-27T15:19:23

Findings: 12

Connections: 5

Entities: 0

Applicable Models

bridge-tax enabler-gradient private-order

Open Questions

The Federal Reserve's 2004–2005 permanent banking prohibition against Kushner was issued for lifetime effect and has no documented vacatur — did the State Department's confirmation process or the Senate Foreign Relations Committee review whether this active banking prohibition constituted a disqualification for an ambassadorial appointment involving financial diplomacy, and if so, what was the legal basis for proceeding?

Westminster Management LLC retains Kushner's spouse as an active adviser receiving guaranteed payments during his ambassadorship — do any Westminster-managed properties involve French nationals, French investors, or entities with French government ties that would create a conflict the OGE agreement did not address?

The Kushner Credit Opportunity Fund LLC and Kushner Investment Manager LLC disclosed in the OGE agreement were not previously publicly documented — what is their investor composition, when were they formed, and what credit instruments do they hold?

Charles Kushner donated $2.5 million to Harvard University in 1998, the year before Jared Kushner's admission — are there additional institutional donations to prep schools, universities, or research institutions in the years immediately preceding admissions decisions for Kushner family members?

Murray Huberfeld and David Bodner's NorCrown co-investment with Charles Kushner predates their Platinum Partners fraud by over a decade — are there documented financial transactions between Kushner Companies entities and Platinum Partners or its predecessor vehicles during the 2000s–2010s that would extend the network connection beyond the Stadtmauer loan?

Charles Kushner (born 1954) is a New Jersey real estate developer who founded Kushner Companies, a privately held firm concentrated in multifamily housing in the New York–New Jersey metro area. In 2005, he pleaded guilty to 18 counts of tax evasion, witness tampering, and illegal campaign contributions (case 2:04-cr-00580), serving approximately 14 months at FCI Montgomery ¹. The Federal Reserve Board separately imposed a permanent banking prohibition and civil penalties for violations at NorCrown Bank during 1995–1997 ². President Donald Trump pardoned Kushner on December 23, 2020 Connection #2435.

Kushner's political donations shifted from over $1.2 million to Democratic candidates and committees through 2004 to at least $420,000 in Republican and Trump-aligned contributions in 2024 ³ ⁴. Trump nominated him as U.S. Ambassador to France in late 2024, and the Senate confirmed him in early 2025. An OGE ethics agreement dated April 14, 2025 required resignation from 55 entities and divestiture of approximately 150 equity positions, including holdings in Brookfield Asset Management and Millennium USA LP ⁵. In February 2026, the French government temporarily barred Kushner from meetings with ministers after he declined a summons from Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot ⁶.

Criminal Prosecution and Regulatory Sanctions

In 2004, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey filed charges against Charles Kushner under case 2:04-cr-00580. Kushner pleaded guilty to 18 counts: tax evasion, making illegal campaign contributions, and witness tampering ¹. The witness tampering charge involved arranging for a prostitute to entrap his brother-in-law, William Schulder, who was cooperating with federal investigators; the resulting recording was sent to Schulder's wife, Kushner's own sister. Kushner was sentenced to two years in federal prison and served approximately 14 months at FCI Montgomery before release. The prosecution was led by then-U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie.

Separate from and concurrent with the criminal case, the Federal Reserve Board issued a prohibition order against Kushner on August 24, 2004, barring him from any financial institution ¹. On February 10, 2005, a joint Federal Reserve–FDIC civil money penalty order was issued covering violations at NorCrown Bank during 1995–1997: Change in Bank Control Act violations, Bank Holding Company Act violations, Regulation O breaches (insider loans to officers), and Sections 23A and 23B violations on affiliated transactions ². The enforcement imposed a civil penalty of at least $500,000 (potentially up to $1 million) and an additional personal fine of $750,000 (potentially up to $1.2 million), plus mandatory divestiture of NorCrown Bank shares ². No public record indicates the Federal Reserve prohibition was vacated before Kushner's nomination and confirmation as U.S. Ambassador to France in 2025.

Attorney Benjamin Brafman secured the Trump pardon for Kushner on December 23, 2020 Connection #2435. Brafman also represented other pardon recipients including Hillel Nahmad (pardoned January 20, 2021).

NorCrown Network and Financial Associates

The NorCrown Trust enforcement records document that Murray Huberfeld and David Bodner co-invested in The NorCrown Trust without FDIC approval under Section 19, receiving regulatory written agreements alongside Kushner ⁷. Murray Huberfeld subsequently co-founded Platinum Partners, which prosecutors described as one of the largest hedge fund frauds in New York history ⁷. Platinum Partners borrowed over $22 million from Richard Stadtmauer — Jared Kushner's uncle and the second-in-command at Kushner Companies, who was separately sentenced to 38 months in federal prison ⁷. Huberfeld pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy for bribing Norman Seabrook, president of the New York City Correction Officers' Benevolent Association, with $60,000 in cash delivered in a Ferragamo bag, in exchange for a $20 million pension fund investment into Platinum Partners ⁷.

Records indicate that the NorCrown co-investment placed Kushner in a shared financial venture with individuals later prosecuted for fraud, and that the Stadtmauer–Platinum lending relationship created a subsequent financial link between Kushner Companies' internal hierarchy and the Platinum Partners enterprise.

Charles Kushner

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Political Donations and Ambassadorial Appointment

LittleSis and FEC records document Charles Kushner's history as a major Democratic Party donor before his 2005 conviction: $1,000,000 to DNC Non-Federal Individual (2002), $100,000 each to two DSCC Non-Federal accounts (2002), $54,000 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (1992–2004), and $44,000 to the Democratic National Committee (1997–2003), alongside donations to Hillary Clinton, Chuck Schumer, Robert Menendez, Frank Lautenberg, Jon Corzine, Joe Lieberman, and John Kerry ³. LittleSis records also show a $2.5 million gift to Harvard University in 1998, the year before Jared Kushner was admitted to Harvard ³.

Post-conviction and post-pardon, Kushner's political contributions shifted to Republican recipients. FEC records show at least $420,000 in 2024 contributions to Republican and Trump-aligned entities: $155,400 to Make America Great Again Inc. (June 2024), $50,000 to RJC Victory Fund, $50,000 to Grow the Majority, $41,300 to the NRCC, $10,000 each to state Republican parties in South Dakota, Kentucky, New Mexico, South Carolina, Florida, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Utah, Arizona, Alaska, Ohio, $5,000 to Save America, and $3,300 each to Mike Johnson for Louisiana and American Revival PAC ⁴. These contributions occurred in the same election cycle that preceded his nomination as Ambassador to France. Trump nominated Kushner in late 2024; the Senate confirmed him in early 2025.

Ethics Agreement and Conflict Disclosures

The OGE ethics agreement submitted to State Department Acting Legal Adviser Richard C. Visek on April 14, 2025 disclosed Charles Kushner's financial interests at the time of his ambassadorial appointment ⁵. Section 2 required resignation from 55 entities listed in Appendix A, including Westminster Management LLC (where he held roles as Chairman and Managing Member), Kushner Investment Manager LLC, Kushner Credit Opportunity Fund LLC, K Multi Family Partners LLC, 65 Bay LLC, K 30 Journal Square Manager Corp, K 30 Journal Square LLC, Riverchase Associates JV LP, Riverchase Birmingham GP LLC, Indiantown Development Management LLC, Indiantown KM LLC, plus over 30 property-specific corporations and LLCs covering New Jersey, New York, Florida, and Alabama ⁸.

Section 3 required divestiture of approximately 150 public company stock positions, plus the SPDR S&P Biotech ETF, an equity interest in Millennium USA LP (Izzy Englander's hedge fund) Connection #2602, and stock in Brookfield Asset Management Ltd ⁹. The Brookfield holding is relevant because a Brookfield Real Estate subsidiary executed the 99-year lease of 666 Fifth Avenue in August 2018, relieving the Kushner family of the financial burden from Jared Kushner's 2007 purchase of the building at $1.8 billion ⁹. Qatar Investment Authority holds a major stake in Brookfield, and the QIA–Brookfield–666 Fifth Avenue relationship overlapped with Jared Kushner's role as Senior Adviser during the 2017–2018 Qatar blockade ⁹.

Section 4 disclosed that Kushner's spouse continues to provide advisory services to Westminster Management LLC and Westminster Pillar Management LLC, receiving guaranteed payments and management fees, and retaining an equity interest in those entities ¹⁰. Charles will receive only passive investment income from those arrangements. The ethics agreement also disclosed that Kushner held equity in eight French public companies at the time of nomination — Air Liquide, Dassault Systèmes, EssilorLuxottica, L'Oréal, LVMH Moët Hennessy, Safran, Sanofi, and Schneider Electric — all required to be divested before assuming the ambassadorship to France ⁵.

IRS 990 filings show the Charles and Seryl Kushner Foundation (EIN 22-3422337) declined from $3.9 million in revenue in 2012 to $1 in assets in both 2022 and 2023 ¹¹. A separate Kushner Family Foundation (EIN 52-1756633) held $4,644 in assets as of 2019 ¹¹.

France Ambassadorship and Diplomatic Incident

In February 2026, Charles Kushner's tenure as U.S. Ambassador to France was marked by a diplomatic dispute with the French government. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot summoned Kushner to the Foreign Ministry to explain the U.S. Embassy Paris's reposting of State Department Counterterrorism Bureau comments on the killing of Quentin Deranque ⁶. Kushner declined to appear personally, citing personal commitments, and sent a senior embassy official in his place. France responded by barring Kushner from meetings with any French government minister ¹².

Barrot publicly stated that "France cannot accept any form of interference or manipulation of its national public debate by the authorities of a third country" ⁶. The restriction was partially lifted on approximately February 24–25, 2026, after Kushner called Barrot to reaffirm the friendship between France and the United States and commit to non-interference ⁶. Axios reporting noted that Kushner was among several Trump-appointed ambassadors identified as creating diplomatic friction in their host countries during the same period ⁶.

All Connections

5 total

Benjamin Brafman legal strong

Brafman secured Trump pardon for Charles Kushner (Dec 23 2020). Kushner is Jared Kushner's father and Trump's in-law.

Jared Kushner familial strong

Father-son. Charles founded Kushner Companies; convicted 2005; Jared assumed control via Oct 2008 DE LLC restructuring. Coordinated 2024 political donations. Charles pardoned Dec 2020 now Ambassador to France.

Murray Huberfeld financial strong

Co-investors in NorCrown Trust; Huberfeld later ran Platinum Partners fraud; Kushner family member Stadtmauer lent 22M to Platinum

Brookfield Asset Management financial strong

Held Brookfield equity while Brookfield subsidiary executed 99-year lease bailout of 666 Fifth Avenue; required to divest for ambassadorship

Millennium USA LP financial medium

Held equity interest in Izzy Englanders hedge fund; required to divest for ambassadorship

All Findings

12 total

financial (8)

financial confirmed

Charles Kushner donated over 420K to Republican and Trump-aligned entities in 2024

FEC records show Charles Kushner made at least 420K in political contributions in 2024 including 155400 to Make America Great Again Inc (June 2024), 50000 to RJC Victory Fund, 50000 to Grow the Majority, 41300 to NRCC, 10000 each to multiple state Republican parties (SD KY NM SC FL WI WV UT AZ AK OH), 5000 to Save America, 3300 each to Mike Johnson for Louisiana and American Revival PAC. Heavy Trump-aligned donor activity in the same year he was later nominated as Ambassador to France.

[ref] FEC donor records for Charles Kushner 2024

financial high

Charles Kushner was million-dollar Democratic donor before political realignment including 1M to DNC in 2002 and 100K each to two DSCC accounts

LittleSis donation records show Charles Kushner was a major Democratic Party donor pre-conviction: 1000000 to DNC Non-Federal Individual (2002), 100000 to DSCC Non-Federal (2002), 100000 to DSCC Non-Federal Building Fund (2002), 54000 to Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (1992-2004), 44000 to Democratic National Committee (1997-2003), plus extensive donations to Hillary Clinton Schumer Menendez Lautenberg Corzine Lieberman Kerry and others. Also donated 2.5M to Harvard (1998) shortly before Jared admission. Complete reversal to Republican alignment post-Trump with 420K+ to GOP in 2024 alone.

[ref] LittleSis entity 98214 Charles Kushner donations FEC historical records

financial confirmed

Charles and Seryl Kushner Foundation had 3.9M revenue in 2012 declining to 1 dollar in assets by 2022-2023 effectively dormant

IRS 990 data (EIN 223422337) shows Charles and Seryl Kushner Foundation Inc revenue peaked at 3886000 in 2012, declined through 2275000 (2013), 1578127 (2014), 114261 (2015), 135000 (2019), 25000 (2020), 5798 (2021) to 1 dollar in both 2022 and 2023. Assets went negative in 2013-2014 suggesting grants committed but not yet funded. The foundation at 200 Central Ave Suite 100 Mountainside NJ is now effectively dormant. Separate Kushner Family Foundation (EIN 521756633) also nearly dormant at 4644 in assets (2019).

[ref] 990:223422337

financial confirmed

Federal Reserve permanent banking prohibition and .5M+ fine for NorCrown Trust violations (2004-2005)

Feb 2005 joint Fed/FDIC enforcement: civil penalty of at least .5M (up to M), additional personal fine of .75M (up to .2M), mandatory divestiture of NorCrown Bank shares, permanent prohibition from any financial institution. Violations (1995-1997): Change in Bank Control Act, Bank Holding Company Act, Regulation O (loans to officers), Sections 23A/23B (affiliated transactions). Aug 2004 prohibition order issued while facing criminal charges. Prohibition presumably still active during France ambassadorship.

[ref] Federal Reserve Board enforcement actions 2004-08-24 and 2005-02-10

financial high

NorCrown Trust co-investors Huberfeld and Bodner later ran Platinum Partners hedge fund fraud

Murray Huberfeld and David Bodner invested in The NorCrown Trust without FDIC approval under section 19. Both received regulatory written agreements. Huberfeld later co-founded Platinum Partners, one of NYC largest hedge fund frauds. Platinum borrowed over M from Richard Stadtmauer (Jared Kushners uncle, Kushner Companies second-in-command, sentenced to 38 months). Huberfeld pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy for bribing Norman Seabrook (NYC Correction Officers union head) with K cash in Ferragamo bag to secure M pension fund investment.

[ref] Federal Reserve enforcement records DOJ Platinum Partners prosecution

financial confirmed

OGE ethics agreement (April 14, 2025) reveals 55 entity resignations, 150+ stock divestitures, Millennium USA LP hedge fund equity, and Brookfield Asset Management stock — the company that bailed out 666 Fifth Avenue

Ethics agreement to State Dept Acting Legal Adviser Richard C. Visek dated April 14 2025. Section 2 Resignations: 55 entities in Appendix A including Westminster Management LLC (Chairman and Managing Member), Kushner Investment Manager LLC, Kushner Credit Opportunity Fund LLC, K Multi Family Partners LLC, 65 Bay LLC, K 30 Journal Square entities, Riverchase Birmingham entities, Indiantown entities, plus 30+ property-specific corps and LLCs. Section 3 Divestitures: approximately 150 public company stocks plus SPDR SP Biotech ETF, Millennium USA LP (Izzy Englander hedge fund), Brookfield Asset Management Ltd, and Defiance Group Holdings LLC. CRITICAL: Brookfield Asset Management is the company whose subsidiary executed the 99-year lease bailout of 666 Fifth Avenue in 2018. Charles Kushner held equity in the entity that rescued the family flagship property. Also held 8 French companies while nominated as Ambassador to France: Air Liquide, Dassault Systemes, EssilorLuxottica, LOreal, LVMH Moet Hennessy, Safran, Sanofi, Schneider Electric. Spouse continues advisory services to Westminster Management LLC and Westminster Pillar Management LLC receiving guaranteed payments and management fees.

[file] https://extapps2.oge.gov/201/Presiden.nsf/PAS+Index/05970229D8DEF8BE85258C70002C8E1D

financial confirmed

Charles Kushner held Brookfield Asset Management equity while Brookfield subsidiary executed 99-year lease bailout of Kushner flagship 666 Fifth Avenue — required to divest as Ambassador

OGE ethics agreement Appendix B lists Brookfield Asset Management Ltd as a required divestiture. Brookfield Real Estate executed the 99-year lease of 666 Fifth Avenue in August 2018, effectively bailing out the Kushner family from the disastrous 2007 purchase at 1.29B. Qatar Investment Authority holds a major stake in Brookfield. Charles Kushner holding Brookfield equity means he had a direct financial interest in the company whose subsidiary rescued the family flagship property. The QIA-Brookfield-666 Fifth triangle is a documented conflict: QIA invested in Brookfield, which bailed out 666 Fifth, while Jared Kushner as Senior Adviser influenced Middle East policy including the Qatar blockade. That Charles continued to hold Brookfield stock years later suggests ongoing financial alignment with the bailout entity.

[ref] OGE ethics agreement April 14 2025 Appendix B Brookfield 666 Fifth Avenue lease 2018 QIA-Brookfield investment relationship

financial confirmed

OGE reveals spouse continues Westminster Management LLC advisory work with guaranteed payments while Charles serves as Ambassador; Westminster Pillar Management LLC also active

Ethics agreement Section 2: Charles resigned as Chairman and Managing Member of Westminster Management LLC. However, spouse provides advisory services to Westminster Management LLC receiving guaranteed payments, and spouse has equity interest in the entity. Charles will receive only passive investment income. Section 4 separately discloses spouse provides advisory services to Westminster Pillar Management LLC receiving management fees, with spouse also having equity interest. These are distinct from Westminster Realty and Sales Corp, Westminster Construction LLC, Westminster Mad entities, and Westminster MGT GP Corp which are all in the resignation list. Westminster Management appears to be the primary Kushner Companies property management arm. Spouse receiving guaranteed payments while Charles is Ambassador creates potential conflict if any Westminster-managed property involves French or international interests.

[ref] OGE ethics agreement April 14 2025 Sections 2 and 4

legal (2)

legal high

Charles Kushner subject to two Federal Reserve Board enforcement actions in 2004 and 2005 separate from DOJ criminal prosecution

OpenSanctions us_fed_enforcements dataset documents two Federal Reserve Board enforcement actions against Charles Kushner on 2004-08-24 and 2005-02-10. These are separate from and in addition to his DOJ criminal prosecution for tax evasion witness tampering and illegal campaign contributions. The Fed actions indicate banking-level regulatory consequences beyond the criminal case. URLs: federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/press/enforcement/2004/20040824 and 2005/20050210.

[ref] OpenSanctions ID Q5079897 us_fed_enforcements dataset Federal Reserve Board press releases 2004-08-24 and 2005-02-10

legal high

France temporarily barred Ambassador Kushner from meeting officials after he sent subordinate to Foreign Minister summons (Feb 2026)

French FM Jean-Noel Barrot summoned Kushner to explain U.S. Embassy Paris repost of State Dept Counterterrorism Bureau comments on Quentin Deranque killing. Kushner sent senior official instead, citing personal commitments. France barred Kushner from meeting any French government ministers. Barrot: France cannot accept any form of interference or manipulation of its national public debate by the authorities of a third country. Partial resolution Feb 24-25 after Kushner called Barrot reaffirming friendship and non-interference. Axios reported Kushner is one of several Trump ambassadors stirring trouble globally.

[file] https://www.nbcnews.com/world/europe/france-ambassador-charles-kushner-banned-meeting-officials-summons-rcna260380

[file] https://www.npr.org/2026/02/24/g-s1-111302/france-spat-with-us-ambassador

[file] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/24/france-restricts-us-ambassadors-access-to-officials-after-summons-no-show

intelligence (1)

intelligence high

French government barred US Ambassador Charles Kushner from meeting with French officials as of February 24 2026

GDELT media monitoring captured a breaking story cluster on Feb 24 2026 with articles across 20+ outlets reporting that France has barred US Ambassador Charles Kushner from meetings with French government officials. Headlines include US Ambassador to France barred from meeting with French government officials and France ups the ante in spat with US ambassador Charles Kushner. This represents an extraordinary diplomatic breakdown for a sitting US ambassador.

[ref] GDELT article cluster 2026-02-24 AP wire syndication across 20+ outlets

identity (1)

identity confirmed

OGE reveals Kushner Credit Opportunity Fund LLC and Kushner Investment Manager LLC — previously undisclosed fund vehicles in Kushner Companies empire

OGE ethics agreement Appendix A lists two previously unidentified Kushner fund entities: (1) Kushner Credit Opportunity Fund LLC — a credit-focused investment vehicle suggesting the family operates in credit/debt markets beyond real estate, and (2) Kushner Investment Manager LLC — an investment management entity suggesting a formalized asset management function. Also notable: Carmel Trust and Nara Trust listed as entities Charles previously resigned from (before this agreement). Other significant entities in resignation list: 65 Bay LLC (potentially 65 Bay Street Jersey City), K 30 Journal Square Manager Corp and K 30 Journal Square LLC (Journal Square Jersey City development), Indiantown Development Management LLC and Indiantown KM LLC (Florida properties), Riverchase Associates JV LP and Riverchase Birmingham GP LLC (Alabama properties). The geographic spread covers NJ, NY, FL, and AL.

[ref] OGE ethics agreement April 14 2025 Appendix A

Sources