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Steve Bannon Pleads Not Guilty on Fraud Charges, Released on Bail
Epoch Times ^ | 08/20/2020 | Jack Phillips

Posted on 08/20/2020 8:43:02 PM PDT by SeekAndFind

Former White House strategist and ex-Breitbart editor-in-chief Steve Bannon pleaded not guilty after he was arrested and charged with fraud over his alleged involvement in an online scam that raised more than $25 million to help fund a privately owned wall along the U.S.–Mexico border.

In a court appearance on Aug. 20, Bannon, 66, pleaded not guilty. A judge set his bond at $5 million.

The magistrate judge approved Bannon’s release on $5 million bail, secured by $1.75 million in assets, according to The Associated Press.

Bannon and three others, including operator Brian Kolfage, were charged with allegedly defrauding donors out of hundreds of thousands of dollars via online platforms such as GoFundMe.

According to its website, “We Build the Wall” stated that it “will focus on building portions of a U.S. Southern Border wall and manage the support operations required for, and the processes associated with, the design, engineering, construction, and maintenance of the wall.”

Kolfage wrote Aug. 19 that his organization deleted his page on GoFundMe, accusing it of “censorship” and will be “taking our business” to another platform.

In December 2018, Kolfage and others created the online crowdfunding campaign via GoFundMe called “We Build the Wall” that raised more than $25 million to build a section of wall along the border.

“As alleged, the defendants defrauded hundreds of thousands of donors, capitalizing on their interest in funding a border wall to raise millions of dollars, under the false pretense that all of that money would be spent on construction,” acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said in a statement about their arrests.


(Excerpt) Read more at theepochtimes.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bannonarrested; briankolfage; fraud; stevebannon

1 posted on 08/20/2020 8:43:02 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

Bannon Bump


2 posted on 08/20/2020 8:45:35 PM PDT by Texas Fossil ((Texas is not where you were born, but a Free State of Heart, Mind & Attitude!))
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To: SeekAndFind

When I first heard about this my reaction was, what, he never worked fir the Clinton Foundation.


3 posted on 08/20/2020 8:46:16 PM PDT by Kickass Conservative (Kill a Commie for your Mommy.)
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To: SeekAndFind

$5M seems excessive. Southern District NY. Not surprised.


4 posted on 08/20/2020 8:48:33 PM PDT by Blogger (Trump 2020! God Bless America and may she return to Him!)
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To: SeekAndFind

Beat someone nearly to death, recognizance. Run a scam, and prohibitive bail. The SDNY is a corrupt cesspool of the DNC’s legal bench, awaiting their ascenscion of the throne of SCOTUS.


5 posted on 08/20/2020 8:57:23 PM PDT by krogers58
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To: SeekAndFind

From what I understand it is normal to accept funds as salary for work with a non profit.

But Bannon should have known they would be gunning for him. And just looking for any opportunity.


6 posted on 08/20/2020 9:12:46 PM PDT by MagillaX
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To: SeekAndFind

Meanwhile, Atty. Gen. Barr continues his now extended investigations.


7 posted on 08/20/2020 9:12:59 PM PDT by lee martell
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To: krogers58

I hope New York eats shiite and dies


8 posted on 08/20/2020 9:28:34 PM PDT by Truthoverpower (The guv-mint you get is the Trump winning express ! Yea haw ! Trump pence II!)
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To: lee martell

9 posted on 08/20/2020 9:31:14 PM PDT by Phillyred
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To: SeekAndFind

Trump threw Bannon under the bus too.


10 posted on 08/20/2020 9:31:53 PM PDT by Dogbert41 (Heartless Republican Gutter Rat)
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To: Phillyred

Yep. The ‘Bags’ played on.


11 posted on 08/20/2020 9:36:02 PM PDT by lee martell
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To: MagillaX

It appears the “salaries” were diverted to a shell company that was set for that purpose.

https://twitter.com/Cernovich/status/1296454346604007424


12 posted on 08/20/2020 9:46:18 PM PDT by CaptainK ('No collusion, no obstruction, he's a leaker')
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To: Blogger

“Seems” excessive? For a nebulous paper crime?

The rioters are walking on assault, arson, vandalism, police attacks, resisting arrest, mayhem, you name it.

No charges, no bail, not even a ride to the precinct. They know who all of them are - they got pictures!

But this “judge” hits Bannon with $5M?

This is the same Left that sends 29 FBI SWATholes to arrest an old man on phony charges. Whenever it’s a political arrest, they pile on hard with targeted people on the Right.


13 posted on 08/20/2020 10:17:14 PM PDT by Regulator
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To: Dogbert41
Stop spreading disinformation. Trump kicked Bannon to the curve 2 years ago after he was outed as a leaker and underminer. Trump speaking the Truth about the fact he did not endorse raising private money for the wall and was suspicious of this group is not throwing him under the bus.
14 posted on 08/21/2020 4:23:52 AM PDT by hotsteppa
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To: SeekAndFind

Wait a minute. Thanks to bail reform in NYS, violent accused perps are being released without bail, but Bannon has to pay it?!


15 posted on 08/21/2020 4:34:13 AM PDT by mewzilla (Break out the mustard seeds.)
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To: SeekAndFind

The SDNY needs to be nuked, wiped out, vaporized, every single attorney there sent to jail , and a whole new department created, staffed with law abiding, constitutional lawyers.
The present bunch are a bunch of hardened criminals who should be put in leg irons and thrown in jail.


16 posted on 08/21/2020 4:37:21 AM PDT by SmokingJoe
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To: Blogger

Excessive?! Considering that NYS isn’t requiring bail from perps accused of violent crimes, yeah, you could call it excessive.


17 posted on 08/21/2020 4:37:54 AM PDT by mewzilla (Break out the mustard seeds.)
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To: MagillaX
From what I understand it is normal to accept funds as salary for work with a non profit.

True, but in this case, they promised to take no salary or any other compensation and then they did it anyway, laundering the money through a non-profit organization controlled by Bannon.

Have you read the indictment?

18 posted on 08/21/2020 5:55:29 AM PDT by centurion316
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To: SeekAndFind

They abolished cash bail for black thugs, but not for white guys, is that what I’m supposed to infer from this?


19 posted on 08/21/2020 6:37:57 AM PDT by E Pluribus Bellum
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To: hotsteppa
THAT’s disinformation.

Here are your reasons for Bannon’s firing. Trump surrounded himself with people who were not with him. They proceeded to Isolate Trump from anyone that could help him fight. When both those assholes left, they then publicly undermined Trump. They left because despite everything they did, they still could not control Trump. Look at where Kelly is now. Housing unaccompanied migrant children.

20 posted on 08/21/2020 10:39:41 AM PDT by Dogbert41 (Heartless Republican Gutter Rat)
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