Bannon Avoids Jail Time in $25 Million Border Wall Fundraising Case

Former Trump advisor Steve Bannon has pleaded guilty to defrauding donors who gave money to a private effort to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. The “We Build the Wall” organization raised over $25 million and promised that all the donations would be used to fund the creation of the wall. Prosecutors alleged that Bannon, as chair of the scheme, instead used the money as a “personal piggybank,” and funneled more than $1 million into his and his colleague’s pockets. As he left the court, Bannon told reporters he felt “like a million bucks.” Bannon will avoid jail time thanks to a plea agreement, but he is barred from fundraising or running charities in New York state, and is subject to a three year conditional discharge. This is Bannon’s second criminal conviction after he served four months in prison for being in contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena from the committee investigating the Jan. 6 riots.