Via the site "We Build The Wall", Steve Bannon is accused of having used "hundreds of thousands of dollars" since December 2018 to cover "personal expenses", according to the Manhattan prosecutor. In particular, false invoices and a shell company were used.

Donald Trump's ex-advisor Steve Bannon was charged * and arrested Thursday for embezzling funds paid through a crowdfunding site. He was supposed to help "build the wall" promised by the Republican billionaire on the border between the United States and Mexico. This is what the Manhattan federal prosecutor said.

"Hundreds of thousands of donors" cheated?

The man 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. Steve Bannon, 66, would have used "hundreds of thousands of dollars" to cover "personal expenses", according to this statement.

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 nonprofit and a front company, including through false invoices, they added. 

$ 25 million raised

Steve 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.

The following were also charged and arrested, according to the prosecutor's statement: Brian Kolfage, 38, founder of the site "We Build The Wall", Andrew Badolato, 56, and Timothy Shea, 49. The first two were scheduled to appear before federal judges in Florida on Thursday, while Timothy Shea was due in federal court in Colorado. In total, "We Build The Wall" has raised more than $ 25 million, according to the prosecutor.

* The term 'accused' no longer exists in French legal proceedings but is still used in the United States. Europe1.fr has chosen to keep the term used by local judicial authorities.