Bannon pleads guilty to defrauding We Build the Wall donors

Former White House adviser Steve Bannon avoided prison time on Tuesday by accepting a deal from Manhattan prosecutors and pleading guilty to defrauding nonprofit donors. Bannon launched the We Build the Wall organization to privately fund the construction of a wall at the U.S. southern border. Bannon, a longtime associate of President Donald Trump, was charged with defrauding We Build the Wall donors of $15 million in donations.

What does the deal include? The 71-year-old received three years of supervised probation for pleading guilty to a first-degree count of scheming to defraud, according to the plea deal. While on probation, Bannon may not serve as a director of any New York nonprofit or raise money for any charities with assets in New York State. The deal also barred Bannon from using the data collected from donors during the scheme and does not require him to pay restitution.

Didn’t Trump pardon him before leaving office? President Donald Trump pardoned Bannon before leaving office, which stopped the indictment and investigation into a similar case. Bannon also spent several months in federal prison last year after being convicted on a 2022 charge of contempt of Congress for refusing to testify before the House committee investigating Jan. 6.

Has Bannon said anything about the deal? Bannon called for criminal investigations of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and New York Attorney General Letitia James while talking to reporters outside the courthouse after entering his plea. He accused the Bragg and James of politically targeting Trump with litigation. Bragg’s office secured a conviction against Trump for business fraud, although the president’s sentencing in the case has been indefinitely postponed.

Bragg said in a statement released to CNN and the Associated Press that his office described having a special interest in rooting out fraud from corporations and charities alike. Bannon’s plea deal works towards this office’s primary goal of protecting New York charities and charitable giving, the statement added.

Dig deeper: Read Onize Oduah’s report on Trump pardoning Bannon’s first fraud charge before leaving office.