Ex-Trump adviser Steve Bannon pleads guilty to defrauding public, avoids jail time

Feb. 11 (UPI) -- Former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon entered guilty pleas to five counts connected with defrauding the public in an online fundraiser to avoid jail time in a plea deal on Tuesday.

Bannon, a right-wing activist who owns a popular conservative podcast, received a conditional discharge for pleading guilty to five state felony counts tied to a case in which he raised money for build a wall on the U.S. southern border.

Prosecutors charged, however, that the hundreds of thousands Bannon raised went to his own personal expenses and to pay the organization's co-founder. Brian Kolfage, the co-founder of We Build the Wall, received a four-year sentence in April 2023.

Bannon had served four months in federal prison for felony contempt of Congress charges. He was freed in November.

Bannon originally was indicted on state charges in 2022 that initially included money laundering, conspiracy and fraud related to We Build the Wall. The promise of the fundraiser was that the money would help Trump build an actual border wall between the United States and Mexico.

Prosecutors said Bannon and his We Build the Wall team raised more than $15 million for the cause with none of the funds going for its stated purpose. Prosecutors said the funds also were used to cover credit card debt of more than $600,000 from another Bannon nonprofit organization.