NEW YORK (AP): Former White House advisor Steve Bannon was arrested today (Thursday) on charges that he and three others illicitly took money from donors in an online fundraising scheme ‘We Build the Wall’.
According to details, Steve Bannon and three associates were indicted in a federal investigation in the Southern District of New York.
Prosecutors alleged that the four defrauded donors by raising more than $25 million to build a wall along the southern border of the United States but some of that money was used for personal gain.
Others in the indictment are Timothy Shea, accused of owning a shell company, Brian Kolfage, a disabled Iraq war veteran, and Andrew Badolato, who according to his own website was a contributor to Breitbart News.
According to the indictment, Bannon promised that 100 percent of the donated money would be used for the project, but the defendants collectively used the amount in a manner inconsistent with the organization’s public representations.
The indictment said they faked invoices and sham ‘vendor’ arrangements, among other ways, to hide what were really happening. The White House declined to comment in this regard. A spokeswoman for Bannon did not return a request for comment.
Trump recently criticized that section of wall after it showed signs of erosion, saying it was only done to make me look bad, even though it was built by his supporters.
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