Anisa Sadat
August 20, 2020 1:20 PM EDT
Washington (Kavian Press) – Steve Bannon former chief strategist to President Donald Trump was arrested on Thursday with three others on charges of online fundraising scheme and ripping off donors promising to build a wall along the Southern border between Mexico-U.S.
The other three men who claimed had close ties to President Trump led the fundraiser efforts called “We Build the Wall” and were able to raise more that $25 million. The online fundraiser platform became famous after President Trump’s efforts to redirect defense fund was faced with many lawsuits.
The fundraiser organizers including Bannon promised that 100% of the donated money would be used for the project, but millions of the dollars were used for personal expenses, according to the indictment.
Criminal charges unsealed Thursday accuses Bannon of receiving over $ 1 million for personal expenses against the promise, “All money donated to the ‘We Build the Wall’ campaign goes directly to wall!!! Not anyone’s pocket,”
Brian Kolfage the co-organizer, according to the charges, spent more than $350,000 of the donations on personal expenses, including cosmetic surgery, a luxury SUV, a golf cart, payments toward a boat, home renovations, jewelry, personal tax payments and credit card debt.
Bannon, Brain Kolfage and the other two defendants, Andrew Badolato and Timothy Shea, are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Bannon will make his initial court appearance in New York later Thursday, according to the US attorney’s office.
President Trump told reporters on Thursday that he know nothing about the project, “I thought that was a project being done for showboating reasons,”
