Steve Bannon Pleads 'Not Guilty' for Alleged Fraud Scheme
Steve Bannon, a former Trump adviser, pleaded 'not guilty' to a fraud charge related to an online fundraising campaign for the border wall.
Bannon, along with three others, were alleged to have defrauded donors to the border wall by hundreds of thousands of dollars, reported Fox News.
The campaign raised $25 million in funds to build a border wall along the Southern U.S., CBS News reported.
Audrey Strauss, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said Bannon and three others were arrested Thursday morning.
Bannon was taken into custody by U.S. Postal Service agents off the coast of Connecticut. He was on a 152-foot yacht that was registered to exiled Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui, said authorities.
He appeared via video conference, sporting a white face mask, a button-down shirt, and sunburn.
His indictment was unsealed on Thursday morning.
False Representations
The project's website said that all funds they will raise are going to the government for building the border wall. It also read that they would "refund every single penny" if they do not meet their target.
"These representations were false," the indictment read.
When the campaign was launched in 2018, it raised roughly $17 million within a week, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors brought the charges to the Southern District of New York. The prosecutors work for the federal Department of Justice.
Bannon is alleged to have pocketed $1 million in contributions that were meant for the "We Build the Wall" project. Prosecutors believe the funds were funneled through a non-profit under his control.
According to CNN, Bannon will now be released on a $5 million bond to be secured by $1.75 million in cash or real property. He will not be allowed to travel on private planes, yachts, or boats without permission from the court.
'Fiasco' to Stop Border Wall Construction
On Thursday, Bannon defiantly claimed that his indictment for fraud and money laundering was a "fiasco" done by people who want to stop the border wall construction.
Walking out of the Lower Manhattan federal court, he ripped off his surgical mask and claimed said to the reporters, "this entire fiasco is to stop people who want to build the wall."
Bannon was in court for about two hours, said a New York Post report.
Bannon, 66, was an architect in the 2016 Trump campaign. He also served in the White House as chief strategist until being forced out in August 2017.
He is the sixth close associate to Trump, who has faced federal charges since 2017.
One of the others alleged to be part of the scheme is Purple Heart recipient Brian Kolfage. He was an Air Force veteran and triple amputee.
Kolfage allegedly took off $20,000 a month and pocketed $100,000 up-front money. All funds allegedly came from a viral GoFundMe fundraiser that was launched in 2018.
Trump Kept His Distance from Bannon
The president chose to distance himself from Bannon's case on Thursday. He told reporters at the White House that he hasn't been "dealing with him for a very long time."
Trump did not like the private efforts to construct the border wall.
He believed these efforts were being made "showboating reasons."
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