Steve Bannon faces state indictment in N.Y., will surrender Thursday
NEW YORK Stephen K. Bannon is expected to surrender to state prosecutors on Thursday to face a new criminal indictment, people familiar with the matter said.
The precise details of the state case could not be confirmed Tuesday evening. But people familiar with the situation, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sealed indictment, suggested the prosecution will likely mirror aspects of the federal case in which Bannon was pardoned.
In that indictment, prosecutors alleged that Bannon and several others defrauded contributors to a private, $25 million fundraising effort, called "We Build the Wall," taking funds that donors were told would support construction of a barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The Manhattan District Attorney's Office, which handles state-level prosecutions, has been evaluating Bannon's alleged involvement in that scheme since shortly after Trump pardoned him, The Washington Post reported in February, 2021.
Presidential pardons only apply to federal charges and cannot prohibit state prosecutions.
Bannon, a former top strategist for Trump who was briefly a White House aide, pleaded not guilty to the federal charges in August 2020. He was accused of pocketing $1 million in the scheme.
Two other men, including disabled veteran Brian Kol***e, pleaded guilty in federal court in connection with the fundraising scheme. A trial involving a third alleged participant, Timothy Shea, ended in a mistrial in June when the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict.
When reached for comment, Bannon issued a statement through his spokesperson that described the indictment as "phony charges" and "nothing more than a partisan political weaponization of the criminal justice system."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/09/06/bannon-border-wall-indictment/
NEW YORK Stephen K. Bannon is expected to surrender to state prosecutors on Thursday to face a new criminal indictment, people familiar with the matter said.
The precise details of the state case could not be confirmed Tuesday evening. But people familiar with the situation, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sealed indictment, suggested the prosecution will likely mirror aspects of the federal case in which Bannon was pardoned.
In that indictment, prosecutors alleged that Bannon and several others defrauded contributors to a private, $25 million fundraising effort, called "We Build the Wall," taking funds that donors were told would support construction of a barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The Manhattan District Attorney's Office, which handles state-level prosecutions, has been evaluating Bannon's alleged involvement in that scheme since shortly after Trump pardoned him, The Washington Post reported in February, 2021.
Presidential pardons only apply to federal charges and cannot prohibit state prosecutions.
Bannon, a former top strategist for Trump who was briefly a White House aide, pleaded not guilty to the federal charges in August 2020. He was accused of pocketing $1 million in the scheme.
Two other men, including disabled veteran Brian Kol***e, pleaded guilty in federal court in connection with the fundraising scheme. A trial involving a third alleged participant, Timothy Shea, ended in a mistrial in June when the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict.
When reached for comment, Bannon issued a statement through his spokesperson that described the indictment as "phony charges" and "nothing more than a partisan political weaponization of the criminal justice system."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/09/06/bannon-border-wall-indictment/
