Authorities have charged former Trump adviser Steve Bannon in New York with defrauding donors to the "We Build the Wall" fundraising campaign for a wall along the Southern border. Brian Kolfage is facing 5 years for siphoning more than $350,000 for personal expenses, including home renovations, a boat, and a fancy pants luxury SUV. Bannon, however, stole (allegedly!) more money than Kolfage.
Via ABC News:
The indictment charges Bannon and "We Build the Wall" itself with two counts of money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of five to 15 years in prison. There are additional felony counts of conspiracy and scheme to defraud along with one misdemeanor count of conspiracy to defraud.
The state charges, brought by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, resemble federal charges for which Bannon received a pardon by Trump, and allege that Bannon and "We Build the Wall" defrauded 430 Manhattan-based donors out of $33,600. Across New York state, there were more than 11,000 donors defrauded out of more than $730,000, according to the indictment.
The pardon only applied to the federal case and does not preclude the state charges.
The kicker here is that Trump pardoned Bannon for ripping off his own supporters. Six counts in the indictment ain't nothing, and he's going to big boy jail if convicted.
Update: Just wanted to add this:
