Ex-wife cites bird rescue in plea for leniency for Jason Galanis
Monet Berger, the former spouse of Jason Galanis, submitted a sentencing memorandum describing his rescue of an injured hawk and other charitable acts in an effort to secure a reduced prison term.
In a sentencing memorandum filed in July 2017, Monet Berger, the former wife of Jason Galanis, recounted an incident in which Galanis rescued an injured hawk and took it to a rescue facility, presenting the story to the Manhattan federal judge overseeing his fraud case. > "He also has a love of animals like no other," Berger wrote, adding that he made a blanket bed for the bird and monitored its recovery. Berger also highlighted Galanis's involvement with Operation Gratitude, a nonprofit that assists military personnel and first responders, and described him as "loyal," "loving" and "kind." She argued that Galanis's criminal behavior was influenced by his father, John Galanis, whose own federal conviction and alleged control over his son had forced Jason to abandon college and assume family responsibilities. The memorandum pleaded for consideration of the "mental hardships" stemming from that relationship, noting that Galanis had expressed regret for his actions. Galanis was later sentenced in September 2020 to 189 months in prison after pleading guilty to multiple securities-fraud charges, with his father also named as a co-defendant. Berger filed for divorce a month after submitting the letter, citing irreconcilable differences and alleging financial misconduct by Galanis. In March 2025, President Donald Trump commuted Galanis's sentence, and two months later pardoned Savannah Chrisley's parents, Todd and Julie Chrisley.