Steve Bannon, a former adviser to President Trump, was among four suspects arrested and charged Thursday in connection with an online money-laundering campaign that allegedly threatened investors with hundreds of thousands of dollars, the Justice Department announced.
The “We Build the Wall” campaign was said to have raised more than $ 25 million in total.
“As indicated, the suspects defrauded hundreds of thousands of donors, and capitalized on their interest in financing a border wall to raise millions of dollars, under the false pretense that all that money would be spent on construction. While donors repeatedly assure that Brian Kolfage, the founder and public face of We Build the Wall, would not be paid a cent, the suspects secretly owed hundreds of thousands of dollars to Kolfage, who he used to fund his lavish lifestyle, “said acting U.S. attorney Audrey Strauss.
Besides Kolfage and Bannon, the DOJ identified Andrew Badolato and Timothy Shea as the other suspects arrested and charged.
This is an evolving story; check back for updates. Fox News’ Marta Dhanis contributed to this report.
