NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – Former White House adviser Steve Bannon on Thursday afternoon pleaded not guilty to charges that he and three other men defrauded donors in an online campaign to build a border wall.
Prosecutors from the Southern District of New York have accused Bannon and the other men of “defrauding hundreds of thousands of donors in connection with an online crowdfunding campaign known as ‘We Build the Wall’ that raised more than $25 million.”
Bannon and the others were arrested Thursday morning in connection with the alleged scheme. He was arraigned Thursday afternoon.
President Donald Trump told reporters in response the indictments, "Well, I feel very badly ... I know nothing about the project other than I didn't like when I read about it, I didn't like it ... I think it's a very sad thing for Mr. Bannon. I think it's surprising."
"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."
Prosecutors allege Bannon and the others used fake invoices and sham “vendor” arrangements to keep the scheme under wraps.
The four defendants were each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, each of which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
In addition to his role as White House chief strategist in 2017, Bannon is known for leading Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign as well as co-founding Breitbart News.