Former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon was charged and arrested on Thursday for embezzlement. Paid via a crowdfunding site, this money was supposed to contribute to "the construction of the wall" promised by the American president at the United States-Mexico border, indicated the federal prosecutor of Manhattan.
The one who was one of the architects of the New York magnate's presidential campaign in 2016 is accused of having, along with three other managers of the site "We Build The Wall", "diverted from the 'money from hundreds of thousands of donors,' prosecutor Audrey Strauss said in a statement.
False invoices and a shell company
Steve Bannon, 66, would have used "hundreds of thousands of dollars" to cover "personal expenses", according to this press release. The hijackings began in December 2018, investigators said. While they assured donors that all the money raised through the site would be used to erect the wall - a symbol of Donald Trump's policy of hardening migration - Steve Bannon and the three other officials embezzled some of the funds through a charity organization nonprofit and a front company, including through false invoices, they added.
Bannon, former head of the conservative site Breitbart News , was to be presented to a New York federal judge during the day. He will face two counts of fraud and money laundering, each punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Were also charged and arrested, according to the press release from the prosecutor: Brian Kolfage, 38, founder of the site "We Build The Wall", Andrew Badolato, 56, and Timothy Shea, 49. In total, "We Build The Wall" has raised more than $ 25 million, according to the prosecutor.
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