Former Trump advisor Steve Bannon, along with Brian Kolfage and two others, has been indicted for allegedly siphoning off funds from the “Build the Wall” campaign.
Bannon is accused of taking over $1 million from the campaign, which he allegedly used to “secretly pay Kolfage” and to “cover hundreds of thousands of dollars in Bannon’s personal expenses.” The alleged fraud involved funneling payments from the We Build the Wall campaign to Kolfage through a shell company controlled by Timothy Shea, one of the men being indicted.
Read the indictment below:
According to the indictment, the money was given to Kolfage through fake invoices and false “vendor” arrangements. This was done to conceal the fact that the veteran was being paid a salary despite telling donors that he was not receiving a penny.
See also: UCMJ Punishment
The four men were arrested by U.S. Postal Service agents on Thursday and are expected to appear in court later in the day. Prosecutors are charging them with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.
Inspector-in-Charge Philip R. Bartlett said, “This case should serve as a warning to other fraudsters that no one is above the law, not even a disabled war veteran or a millionaire political strategist.” If convicted, the men face a maximum of 20 years in federal prison.