Ekpenyong Emmanuel
Steve Bannon, a former advisor to President Donald Trump, has pleaded guilty to defrauding donors who contributed to a private border wall project.
Bannon entered a guilty plea in a Manhattan court, avoiding prison time as part of a deal with prosecutors.
The charges against Bannon stem from his involvement in the “We Build the Wall” project, which raised over $15 million in private donations to build a wall along the US-Mexico border.
Bannon was accused of using some of the donated funds for personal expenses.
As part of his plea deal, Bannon pleaded guilty to a single charge of being involved in a “scheme to defraud in the first place.”
He was sentenced to a three-year conditional discharge, which means he will not serve any jail time or pay restitution.
However, Bannon is barred from serving as an officer or director of any charitable or non-profit organization in New York state.
Bannon’s guilty plea is the latest development in a series of legal troubles surrounding Trump associates.
Bannon has been a vocal supporter of Trump and has remained a prominent figure in conservative politics.
In a separate case, Bannon was previously convicted of contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate with a congressional investigation into the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.
He served nearly four months in prison for that conviction.
