luchtschip schreef op 20 augustus 2020 16:26:
Bannon, three others charged with defrauding donors of 'We Build The Wall' campaign
Former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon and three others were arrested and charged with defrauding hundreds of thousands of donors who contributed to a fundraising campaign for a private border wall, the U.S. attorney's office for the Southern District of New York said Thursday.
Bannon, Brian Kolfage, Andrew Badolato and Timothy Shea allegedly defrauded donors of the online crowdfunding campaign known as “We Build the Wall,” which raised more than $25 million, the office said. The four defendants are expected to appear in court Thursday afternoon.
"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.
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The four men are facing charges including one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Each charge carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.
Bannon, who also served as chief executive of the Trump campaign in 2016, is the latest member of Trump's inner circle to face criminal charges. Former national security adviser Michael Flynn pleaded guilty in 2017 to lying to the FBI about his communications with a Russian diplomat. He has since backed out of a plea agreement and the Department of Justice is seeking to withdraw its case against him.
thehill.com/policy/national-security/...