SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Steve Bannon speaks before introducing Republican Senatorial candidate Roy Moore during a campaign event at Oak Hollow Farm on December 5, 2017 in Fairhope, Alabama. (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Steve Bannon Arrested for Fraud Related to Role in Privatized Border Wall Scheme
The "We Build the Wall" campaign, led by Iraq War veteran Brian Kolfage, raised over $25 million.
Aug 20, 2020
This is a breaking story and may be updated.
Former Trump White House chief strategist Steve Bannon was arrested and charged Thursday for his alleged role in "defrauding hundreds of thousands of donors" related to the anti-immigrant "We Build the Wall" campaign.
The indictment was unsealed by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. Three other individuals were also arrested for their roles in the privatized border wall scheme that raised over $25 million, the federal prosecutors said, naming campaign leader Brian Kolfage, Andrew Badolato, and Timothy Shaw.
"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," Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said in a statement.
"While repeatedly assuring donors that Brian Kolfage, the founder and public face of We Build the Wall, would not be paid a cent, the defendants secretly schemed to pass hundreds of thousands of dollars to Kolfage, which he used to fund his lavish lifestyle," Strauss added.
Further, the indictment states, "Bannon, through a non-profit organization under his control, received over $1 million from We Build the Wall, at least some of which Bannon used to cover hundreds of thousands of dollars in [his] personal expenses."
According to Philip R. Bartlett, Inspector-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the United States Postal Inspection Service, "The defendants allegedly engaged in fraud when they misrepresented the true use of donated funds. As alleged, not only did they lie to donors, they schemed to hide their misappropriation of funds by creating sham invoices and accounts to launder donations and cover up their crimes, showing no regard for the law or the truth."
"This case should serve as a warning to other fraudsters that no one is above the law," he added, "not even a disabled war veteran or a millionaire political strategist."
Bannon's involvement in the privatized border wall effort was first reported by Politico last year.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
This is a breaking story and may be updated.
Former Trump White House chief strategist Steve Bannon was arrested and charged Thursday for his alleged role in "defrauding hundreds of thousands of donors" related to the anti-immigrant "We Build the Wall" campaign.
The indictment was unsealed by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. Three other individuals were also arrested for their roles in the privatized border wall scheme that raised over $25 million, the federal prosecutors said, naming campaign leader Brian Kolfage, Andrew Badolato, and Timothy Shaw.
"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," Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said in a statement.
"While repeatedly assuring donors that Brian Kolfage, the founder and public face of We Build the Wall, would not be paid a cent, the defendants secretly schemed to pass hundreds of thousands of dollars to Kolfage, which he used to fund his lavish lifestyle," Strauss added.
Further, the indictment states, "Bannon, through a non-profit organization under his control, received over $1 million from We Build the Wall, at least some of which Bannon used to cover hundreds of thousands of dollars in [his] personal expenses."
According to Philip R. Bartlett, Inspector-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the United States Postal Inspection Service, "The defendants allegedly engaged in fraud when they misrepresented the true use of donated funds. As alleged, not only did they lie to donors, they schemed to hide their misappropriation of funds by creating sham invoices and accounts to launder donations and cover up their crimes, showing no regard for the law or the truth."
"This case should serve as a warning to other fraudsters that no one is above the law," he added, "not even a disabled war veteran or a millionaire political strategist."
Bannon's involvement in the privatized border wall effort was first reported by Politico last year.
This is a breaking story and may be updated.
Former Trump White House chief strategist Steve Bannon was arrested and charged Thursday for his alleged role in "defrauding hundreds of thousands of donors" related to the anti-immigrant "We Build the Wall" campaign.
The indictment was unsealed by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. Three other individuals were also arrested for their roles in the privatized border wall scheme that raised over $25 million, the federal prosecutors said, naming campaign leader Brian Kolfage, Andrew Badolato, and Timothy Shaw.
"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," Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said in a statement.
"While repeatedly assuring donors that Brian Kolfage, the founder and public face of We Build the Wall, would not be paid a cent, the defendants secretly schemed to pass hundreds of thousands of dollars to Kolfage, which he used to fund his lavish lifestyle," Strauss added.
Further, the indictment states, "Bannon, through a non-profit organization under his control, received over $1 million from We Build the Wall, at least some of which Bannon used to cover hundreds of thousands of dollars in [his] personal expenses."
According to Philip R. Bartlett, Inspector-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the United States Postal Inspection Service, "The defendants allegedly engaged in fraud when they misrepresented the true use of donated funds. As alleged, not only did they lie to donors, they schemed to hide their misappropriation of funds by creating sham invoices and accounts to launder donations and cover up their crimes, showing no regard for the law or the truth."
"This case should serve as a warning to other fraudsters that no one is above the law," he added, "not even a disabled war veteran or a millionaire political strategist."
Bannon's involvement in the privatized border wall effort was first reported by Politico last year.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.