The Daily Populous Wednesday July 24th, 2024 day edition
Authored by abcnews.go.com and submitted by AudibleNod

Steve Bannon to go on trial in December for alleged fraud in We Build the Wall fundraiser

Donald Trump ally Steve Bannon will stand trial beginning Dec. 9 on charges he defrauded donors to an online effort to raise money for a wall along the U.S. southern border.

During a brief hearing on Tuesday, prosecutors said they would take three to four days to present evidence. Defense attorneys expected their case to last two days.

Bannon, who is currently serving a federal prison sentence for contempt of Congress, did not attend the hearing.

"Mr. Bannon was excused by the court," Judge April Newbauer said.

Prosecutors sought a trial date in November, but Newbauer said that was too soon since Bannon will not be released from FCI Danbury until October.

Former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon leaves a press conference outside the federal correctional institution, July 1, 2024, in Danbury, Conn. Yuki Iwamura/AFP via Getty Images

"This trial was originally set for May. We were prepared to try it then," Assistant District Attorney Dan Passesser said.

Bannon has pleaded not guilty and asked the court to dismiss the charges in January. Newbauer said she would rule on that request in late August.

The Manhattan district attorney's office has said Bannon defrauded donors to the nonprofit We Build the Wall by falsely promising that none of the money they donated would be used to pay the salary of the organization's president, Brian Kolfage, while secretly funneling hundreds of thousands of dollars to him by laundering it through third-party entities.

The campaign said We Build the Wall would use the money to privately construct the border wall -- a central tenant of Trump's 2016 campaign, and again on his current campaign -- and prosecutors said a "central piece of the public messaging in support of this fundraising effort was that Kolfage was not taking a penny of compensation."

Financial records show Kolfage was paid according to a secret salary arrangement -- an upfront payment of $100,000 and monthly payments of approximately $20,000.

Kolfage was sentenced to 51 months in prison in April 2023 for his role in the fundraiser, which generated upward of $25 million in donations.

TheFudge on July 23rd, 2024 at 20:58 UTC »

I wonder how he reacted to the news of Biden dropping out. I hope he is seething with frustration that he is stuck in prison and can’t say a word. Piece of filth needs to rot.

NPVT on July 23rd, 2024 at 20:10 UTC »

You mean federal inmate number 05635-509?

AudibleNod on July 23rd, 2024 at 19:24 UTC »

> The Manhattan district attorney's office has said Bannon defrauded donors to the nonprofit We Build the Wall by falsely promising that none of the money they donated would be used to pay the salary of the organization's president, Brian Kolfage, while secretly funneling hundreds of thousands of dollars to him by laundering it through third-party entities.

> Kolfage was sentenced to 51 months in prison in April 2023 for his role in the fundraiser, which generated upward of $25 million in donations.

He scooped up $25,000,000 on a campaign promise that said Mexico was supposed to pay for the wall. By the way, Mexico invested $1.5B in 'smart' border technology. And they're working with their neighbors to address migration and security.