President Trump on Monday pardoned a trail runner who took a brief detour on a prohibited trail while attempting to break a record running up and down the tallest peak in the Teton Range of Wyoming.
Michelino Sunseri, 33, ran up and down the 13,775-foot-tall Grand Teton peak on Sept. 2, 2024, in a record-shattering 2 hours, 50 minutes, 50 seconds.
On his way down, Sunseri used a shortcut to avoid casual hikers, but going off-trail in a national park is prohibited due to concerns of erosion.
Sunseri was convicted of a misdemeanor in September for taking the frowned-upon cut-through.
“Well… the trail trial of the century is officially over,” Sunseri posted on Facebook after being granted clemency.
“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 — over the Grand Teton FKT and my use of the Old Climber’s Trail,” he wrote.
“This case was a massive waste of taxpayer money and government energy from the start,” Sunseri wrote. “Unfortunately, instead of working with me, the system tried to make an example of me.”
Before his pardon, prosecutors had agreed to seek dismissal of his case if Sunseri completed 60 hours of community service and a course on wilderness stewardship, according to the runner’s attorneys.
“We are thrilled that Michelino’s nightmare is over, but we’re not done fighting against unconstitutional regulations that give low-level park officials the power to criminalize harmless conduct,” Michael Poon, an attorney for Pacific Legal Foundation, which helped in Sunseri’s legal defense, said in a statement.
“We are ready to help other Americans who face criminal prosecution for breaking park rules that were illegally created,” the statement said.
The pardon appeared entirely apolitical.
Just days before, Trump pardoned 77 individuals tied to a plot to overturn the 2020 presidential election, including several of his political allies, his pardon attorney revealed late Sunday.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Post.
With Post wires.
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