Build the Wall enthusiasts have been allegedly defrauded by President Donald Trump’s former political adviser, Steve Bannon, the US Attorney’s office has said.
Bannon and three others, Brian Kolfage, Andrew Badolato, and Timothy Shea, were indicted for their roles in defrauding hundreds of thousands of donors in connection with an online crowd funding campaign known as “We Build the Wall“.
According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s office in the Southern District of New York, Audrey Strauss, the fraudsters raised more than 25 million dollars.
“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,” Strauss said.
They had all been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, each of which carried a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.(dpa/NAN)