前特朗普顾问史蒂夫·班农将于2024年5月因以下罪名受审涉嫌诈骗捐赠者曼哈顿的一名法官周四说，这是一项名为“我们建墙”的在线筹款活动。
法官胡安·马科姆将审判日期定在明年5月27日，即前总统唐纳德·特朗普去世两个月后接受审判因为涉嫌伪造与斯托米·丹尼尔斯封口费付款相关的商业记录。
作为总统，特朗普赦免班农在班农被指控欺诈“我们建造隔离墙”众筹活动的捐助者，在美墨边境建造隔离墙后，他在办公室的最后一个晚上被起诉。
班农现在面临的州指控是由曼哈顿地区检察官办公室提出的，指控班农和“我们建造隔离墙”诈骗了430名曼哈顿捐赠者的33，600美元。起诉书称，整个纽约州有超过1.1万名捐款人被骗走了逾73万美元。
唐纳德·特朗普总统的前顾问史蒂夫·班农于2023年5月25日在NYS最高法院出庭后离开。
迈克尔·圣地亚哥/盖蒂图片社
班农不服罪九月份的指控。
检察官表示，“我们建墙”基于“虚假借口”从全国各地的捐助者那里筹集了1500万美元，理由是组织者承诺该组织的主席不会拿工资。检察官说，相反，该运动的主席布莱恩·科尔法格收到了班农秘密给他的25万美元的薪水。
起诉书援引班农在2019年6月24日的筹款活动上告诉捐助者，“记住，你给的所有钱都用来修建隔离墙。”
如果被判有罪，班农将面临两项洗钱指控，最高可判处5至15年监禁，以及另外一项共谋和阴谋欺诈重罪和一项共谋欺诈轻罪。
Judge sets May 2024 date for Steve Bannon's trial on 'We Build the Wall' fraud charges
Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon will stand trial in May 2024 forallegedly defrauding donorsto the "We Build the Wall" online fundraising campaign, a Manhattan judge said Thursday.
Judge Juan Merchan set a trial date of May 27 of next year -- two months after former President Donald Trump isset to stand trialbefore the same judge for allegedly falsifying business records related to Stormy Daniels' hush money payment.
As president, Trumppardoned Bannonon his last night in office after Bannon was indicted on federal charges of defrauding donors to the "We Build the Wall" crowdfunding effort to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The state charges Bannon now faces were brought by the Manhattan district attorney's office and allege that Bannon and "We Build the Wall" defrauded 430 Manhattan-based donors out of $33,600. Across New York state, there were more than 11,000 donors defrauded out of more than $730,000, according to the indictment.
Bannonpleaded not guiltyto the charges in September.
Prosecutors say "We Build the Wall" raised $15 million from donors across the country based on "false pretenses," citing a pledge organizers made that the group's president would take no salary. Instead, the campaign's president, Brian Kolfage, received a salary of $250,000 that was secretly funneled to him by Bannon, prosecutors say.
The indictment quotes Bannon telling donors at a June 24, 2019, fundraising event, "Remember, all the money you give goes to building the wall."
If convicted, Bannon faces two counts of money laundering, which carry a maximum sentence of five to 15 years in prison, as well as additional felony counts of conspiracy and scheme to defraud along with one misdemeanor count of conspiracy to defraud.
