Steve Bannon Charged With Misusing Donations For Trump’s Border Wall

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Steve Bannon, President Trump’s former political adviser, has been arrested alongside three other people in connection with an online fundraising scheme that federal prosecutors in New York say was responsible for defrauding hundreds of thousands of people.

Bannon and the three other defendants are alleged to have orchestrated a scheme around an online crowdfunding campaign called “We Build the Wall,” which has raised over $25 million, according to prosecutors. The campaign was advertised as an effort to build portions of the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and support maintenance operations.

“As alleged, the defendants defrauded hundreds of thousands of donors, capitalizing on their interest in funding a border wall to raise millions of dollars, under the false pretense that all of that money would be spent on construction,” said Audrey Strauss, the acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.

Authorities said Bannon was arrested this morning on a 152-foot yacht off the coast of Westbrook, Conn.

Also named in the indictment is Brian Kolfage, the founder and president of We Build the Wall, Andrew Badolato and Timothy Shea. Kolfage is an Air Force veteran who lost both of his legs and his right arm while on deployment in Iraq in 2004.

According to the indictment, the four men allegedly used sham invoices and accounts to cover their scheme.

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Article URL : https://www.npr.org/2020/08/20/904245273/steve-bannon-arrested-in-scheme-to-raise-money-for-trumps-border-wall