Steve Bannon has been arrested after allegations of fraud relating to an online fundraising scheme, the US Justice Department said on Thursday. US President Donald Trump’s ex-political adviser was detained on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud as part of a project to raise money to support the building of a wall along the United States’ border with Mexico. The charges in detail: Bannon and three of his associates — Brian Kolfage, Andrew Badolato, and Timothy Shea — were indicted by investigators in New York after federal prosecutors alleged that the scheme garnered “more than $25 million (€21 million) to build a wall along the southern border of the United States.” The project “orchestrated a scheme to defraud hundreds of thousands of donors,” the prosecutors added. The indictment alleges Bannon pocketed over $1 million, despite promising donors that 100% of the money raised would be used to fund the construction of Trump’s much-vaunted plan. Kolfage, who founded the project, siphoned $350,000, according to the indictment. The “We Build The Wall” website claims it will bring people “together to build segments” of the barricade and will do so at “a fraction of what it costs the government.” The project also states in is a “non-profit tax-exempt organization.”
Steve Bannon arrest: what are the accusations? | DW News
