JUST IN: Steve Bannon Avoids Jail Time In Border Wall Case

Steve Bannon, former White House chief strategist and longtime ally of President Donald Trump, has reached a plea agreement in his fraud case tied to the “We Build The Wall” fundraising effort, allowing him to avoid prison time.

Bannon’s legal team confirmed the deal, which was first reported by Law360, revealing that he will plead guilty in the case. The agreement comes nearly two years after his indictment in New York, where prosecutors accused him of money laundering and defrauding donors who contributed to the private effort to construct a barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The case was originally set to go to trial on February 25, but a judge recently delayed proceedings to March 4 after Bannon brought in new attorneys to mount a more aggressive defense. The plea deal spares Bannon from serving time behind bars.

Bannon said last month during a hearing, “I’ve been smeared by a political prosecution — persecution — for years, and I need someone who’s a little more aggressive. I need every tool in the tool box.”

He has consistently dismissed the charges as politically motivated, framing the case as an extension of efforts to target Trump allies.

The case against Bannon stems from the “We Build The Wall” fundraising campaign, a private effort launched in 2018 to construct sections of a border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. In December 2018, Brian Kolfage, a U.S. Air Force veteran, launched a GoFundMe campaign to finance the construction of parts of a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico.

The initiative rapidly attracted supporters, amassing over $25 million. Kolfage pledged that all funds would be exclusively used for the construction projects.

However, the campaign’s transparency came into question when, in August 2020, federal prosecutors charged Kolfage along with Bannon, Andrew Badolato, and Timothy Shea with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. The indictment accused them of deceiving donors and misappropriating funds for personal expenses.

Notably, Bannon was alleged to have received more than $1 million, which prosecutors claimed was partially spent on personal costs. Bannon denied the charges, but before the trial could advance, President Trump pardoned him in January 2021, nullifying the federal charges against him.

Nonetheless, the legal challenges for Bannon persisted. In September 2022, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office pursued Bannon on state charges, including money laundering, conspiracy, and fraud, unaffected by the presidential pardon. Bannon, maintaining his innocence, has decried the state charges as politically motivated.

Kolfage and Badolato have both entered guilty pleas to the federal charges, with Kolfage receiving a 51-month federal prison sentence in April 2023 and Badolato sentenced to 36 months. In October 2022, Shea was found guilty and was sentenced in July 2023 to 63 months in prison.

With this plea agreement, Bannon sidesteps the risk of a lengthy trial and potential prison sentence, though the specifics of the deal—including any financial penalties—have yet to be disclosed.

This is a developing story…