5 with ties to N.J. win pardons, clemency from Trump on his last day in office Updated Jan 20, 2021; Posted Jan 20, 2021 President Trump is seen on a network monitor after his pre-recorded farewell speech was released, hours before issuing 140 pardons and commutations early Wednesday morning.AP Facebook Share There was Salomon Melgen, once the nation’s highest-paid Medicare doctor in the country. Melgen is now in prison for bilking Medicare for millions of dollars, but his friendship with U.S. Sen Robert Menendez turned him into a central figure in a high-profile bribery and corruption case that targeted the New Jersey Democrat, and ultimately ended in a mistrial and a dismissal of all charges.