Steve Bannon, ex-Trump adviser, arrested in connection with border wall fundraising scheme

Video Source: abc11

Steve Bannon, the former White House Chief Strategist and architect of some of President Donald Trump’s early immigration policies, has been indicted in connection with an online border wall funding campaign that prosecutors call a scheme.

In a federal indictment unsealed Thursday, Bannon and two others are accused of defrauding thousands of donors in an online campaign known as “We Build the Wall” that raised more than $25 million.

“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 Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss 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.”

Kolfage, Andrew Badolato, and Timothy Shea were also named in the indictment. All four men were arrested Thursday, according to the statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.

A phone at the office of Bannon’s lawyer went unanswered Thursday morning. A spokeswoman for Bannon did not immediately respond to a request from the Associated Press for comment.

All four men are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Source: The Associated Press, abc11