Former White House strategist Steve Bannon arrives at the Manhattan district attorney's office to surrender himself to New York authorities. Photo / AP
Former White House strategist Steve Bannon arrives at the Manhattan district attorney's office to surrender himself to New York authorities. Photo / AP
Former President Donald Trump's longtime ally Steve Bannon pleaded not guilty to duping donors who gave money to build a wall on the US southern border. The case, brought by New York prosecutors, is a state-level reboot of a federal case cut short last year by a presidential pardon.
Bannon, 68, was released after his arraignment on money laundering, conspiracy, fraud and other charges related to the "We Build the Wall" campaign. He is the second person pardoned by Trump and later charged by the Manhattan district attorney's office for the same alleged conduct.
"It's all nonsense. They will never shut me up," Bannon said as he left court.
Former White House strategist Steve Bannon is escorted along the hall to go into the courtroom of the Manhattan district attorney's office. Photo / AP
Manhattan prosecutors working in conjunction with the state attorney general's office say that although Bannon promised all donations would go to constructing the wall, he was involved in transferring hundreds of thousands of dollars to third-party entities and used them to funnel payments to two other people involved in the scheme.
The indictment didn't identify those people by name, but the details match those of Brian Kolfage and Andrew Badolato, who pleaded guilty to federal charges in April.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said that after Bannon was pardoned, Manhattan prosecutors decided they had to hold him accountable because the alleged scheme ripped off hundreds of Manhattan residents. The top charge against Bannon carries a maximum sentence of five to 15 years in prison.
"The simple truth is: It is a crime to profit off the backs of donors by making false pretences," Bragg said at a news conference.
Bannon's New York charges stem from the same alleged conduct as an attempted federal prosecution that ended abruptly, before trial, when Trump pardoned Bannon on his last day in office. Manhattan prosecutors also charged WeBuildTheWall, Inc., the nonprofit entity that Bannon and his former co-defendants used to solicit donations. The company pleaded not guilty.
Presidential pardons apply only to federal crimes, not state offences. Last year, the Manhattan district attorney's office charged Ken Kurson, a friend of Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, with cyberstalking months after Trump pardoned him in a similar federal case. Like Bannon, Kurson was pardoned early in his federal case, before acquittal or conviction, negating any double jeopardy argument.
Former White House strategist Steve Bannon leaves court. Photo / AP
Arriving at the Manhattan district attorney's office shortly after 9am Thursday local time, Bannon said it was "an irony" that New York City's mayor has been objecting to busloads of migrants sent to the city from Texas while prosecutors "are persecuting people here, that try to stop them at the border".
Bannon accused Bragg of pursuing "phony charges" against him, saying the Democratic prosecutor targeted him ahead of November's midterm elections because he and his radio show are popular among Trump's Republican supporters.
He claimed federal prosecutors had the same intent when he was first charged in August of 2020 ahead of the presidential election.
