He’s getting to be an old hand
How many more crimes will he be charged with?
Stephen K. Bannon, a former top adviser to former President Donald J. Trump, surrendered to the Manhattan district attorney’s office on Thursday to face charges related to a nonprofit that prosecutors say defrauded donors who thought they were helping fulfill the president’s promise of a barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The indictment, unsealed Thursday morning, charges Mr. Bannon with two felony counts of money laundering, two felony counts of conspiracy and a felony count of scheming to defraud in connection with his work with We Build the Wall Inc.
If Mr. Bannon is convicted, and a judge imposes the maximum sentence on the most serious charge, he could face between five and 15 years in prison. We Build the Wall itself was also charged.
“Stephen Bannon acted as the architect of a multimillion dollar scheme to defraud thousands of donors across the country — including hundreds of Manhattan residents,” the district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, said in a statement.
The New York attorney general, Letitia James, whose office partnered with the district attorney in the investigation, said Mr. Bannon had taken “advantage of his donors’ political views to secure millions of dollars which he then misappropriated.”
She added, “Mr. Bannon lied to his donors to enrich himself and his friends.”
Mr. Bannon, 68, arrived at the district attorney’s office on Hogan Street in a black S.U.V. around 9:10 a.m. While being heckled by a handful of protesters, he raised his left hand and pointed to the scores of reporters and photographers gathered there.
“This is an irony,” he said, adding, “On the very day the mayor of this city has a delegation down on the border, they’re persecuting people here for trying to stop them at the border.” Mayor Eric Adams has sent officials to Texas to investigate a torrent of migrants bused to New York City by the state’s governor.
The charges echo a federal case brought against Mr. Bannon two years ago. Federal prosecutors in 2020 indicted him and three other men of taking donations from the crowd-funded border wall project to pay for personal expenses.
The group said it planned to use the funds to build portions of a barrier dividing the United States and Mexico. Conservative activists, including Mr. Trump’s oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., appeared at an event for the group, which ultimately brought in $25 million in donations.
The Manhattan indictment centers on allegations that Mr. Bannon and others defrauded donors by secretly funneling donated funds to We Build the Wall’s president, Brian Kolfage, who had pledged not to take a salary.
According to the indictment, several hundred Manhattan residents gave to the group “based on the false representation that none of the money” would pay Mr. Kolfage.
Mr. Kolfage was not charged by Manhattan prosecutors, and is identified in the indictment as “Unindicted Co-Conspirator 1.” He pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges in the federal case.
Federal prosecutors had accused Mr. Bannon of helping conduct the fraud, and pocketing $1 million raised by the organization, using it for personal expenses. But Mr. Trump pardoned Mr. Bannon in January 2021, preventing federal authorities from taking him to trial.
Trump didn’t trust Bannon not to turn on him so he gave him the pardon he demanded. Unfortunately for Bannon, his crimes fall under state jurisdiction too.
Here’s a rundown of some of the charges against Bannon so far:
Stephen K. Bannon, a onetime political adviser and chief strategist to former President Donald J. Trump, has faced several charges since leaving the White House in 2017. Here are some notable cases against him:
Federal fraud charges. In August 2020, Mr. Bannon was charged with defrauding donors who supported building a border wall long sought by Mr. Trump. Prosecutors said Mr. Bannon used funds raised for the construction of the wall on private land to pay for personal expenses. In January 2021, Mr. Trump pardoned Mr. Bannon before he could be brought to trial.
Contempt of Congress. In November 2021, Mr. Bannon was indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts of contempt of Congress, after his refusal to comply with a subpoena from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. In a trial the following summer, a jury found Mr. Bannon guilty of both counts. He is scheduled to be sentenced in October.
New York State charges. Mr. Bannon surrendered to the Manhattan district attorney’s office and is expected to be charged with money laundering, conspiracy and fraud in connection with the border wall project. The Manhattan district attorney’s office began its own investigation into Mr. Bannon’s role in the project after he was pardoned by Mr. Trump.
It would be good to see him charged with seditious conspiracy but I suppose that’s too much to hope for.