Steve Bannon gets probation for border wall fraud scheme
Former advisor to Donald Trump, Steve Bannon, pleaded guilty on Tuesday in a New York State court to a fraud charge related to his fundraising campaign for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. He was sentenced to three years of probation.
Seventy-one-year-old Steve Bannon was accused of money laundering and conspiracy, as well as deceiving donors who, in 2019, gave him over $15 million for a private fundraising campaign under the slogan "We Build the Wall." Investigators claimed that the money was used by Bannon for personal purposes and given to others involved in the project.
Building the border wall was a key element of Trump's immigration policy during his first presidency.
Bannon was an advisor to Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign and in 2017 assumed the role of chief strategist for the president. However, a conflict later arose between them, and in 2018 Trump removed him from his position. Despite this, Bannon remained a staunch supporter of the president.
Steve Bannon sentenced. What about the presidential pardon?
The Associated Press emphasizes that Trump cannot pardon Bannon because the charges against him were brought at the state level.
In October 2022, Bannon was sentenced to four months in jail and a $6,500 fine for refusing to testify before the Congressional committee investigating the events of January 6, 2021.
Bannon was considered one of the key figures involved in the protests that ended with the storming of the Capitol. The day before the riots, he announced on his podcast that on January 6 "all hell is going to break loose," and suggested a "revolution" would take place. On January 5, Bannon also met with Republican congressmen at the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C.
