Steven Bannon pleads guilty to scheme to defraud in border wall fundraiser, avoids jail time
2025-02-11
Category: political

Steve Bannon, a longtime ally of President Donald Trump, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a charge that he defrauded donors who gave money to a private campaign to build a wall along the U.S. southern border. Bannon pleaded guilty to one scheme to defraud count and was sentenced to three years conditional discharge. He will avoid jail time as part of a plea agreement as long as he stays out of trouble.&nbsp; When reporters asked Bannon how he felt as he left the courtroom, he responded: "Like a million bucks." Bannon's lawyer told reporters outside the court that there was no way his client could get a fair trial. TRUMP ALLY STEVE BANNON PLEDGES TO ‘TAKE… DOWN’ ELON MUSK  Another condition of the plea agreement states Bannon is barred from fundraising for or serving as "an officer, director, or in any other fiduciary position" for any charitable organization with assets in New York state. He also cannot use, sell or possess any data gathered from donors to the "We Build the Wall" scheme. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, praised the plea agreement.  "This resolution achieves our primary goal: to protect New York’s charities and New Yorkers’ charitable giving from fraud," Bragg said in a statement.&nbsp; He added: "New York has an important interest in rooting out fraud in our markets, our corporations, and our charities, and we will continue to do just that." BONDI'S DOJ DAY 1 DIRECTIVES: FIGHT WEAPONIZATION OF JUSTICE, ELIMINATE CARTELS, LIFT DEATH PENALTY BAN Bannon, 71, pleaded not guilty in September 2022 to a state court indictment charging him with money laundering, fraud and conspiracy in the border wall scheme.  He was accused of falsely promising donors that all money given to the We Build the Wall campaign would go toward building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Instead, prosecutors alleged the money was used to enrich Bannon and others involved in the project. After Trump pardoned Bannon during the final hours of his first term in office in 2021, Bragg charged Bannon in state court on the same allegations. The plea comes days after Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered the Justice Department to investigate what the president called the "weaponization of prosecutorial power" – cases she said appear to have been motivated by "political objectives or other improper aims," including Bragg’s pursuit of criminal charges against Trump. CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Speaking to reporters outside court, Bannon called on Bondi to begin an immediate criminal investigation into Bragg and New York Attorney General Leticia James. The Associated Press contributed to this report.