唐纳德·特朗普总统的密友史蒂夫·班农，认罪周二诈骗了向“我们建墙”(We Build the Wall)捐款的纽约人，这是特朗普第一个任期内的签名项目的在线筹款活动，以换取无监禁的判决。
“双方已经达成了认罪协议。班农先生将对起诉书中的第5项指控认罪，这是起诉书中的欺诈阴谋。他将被有条件释放，”检察官杰弗里·莱文森说。
对重罪指控的认罪代表着班农的第二次刑事定罪他坐过牢蔑视国会。
班农穿着一件棕色夹克出现在法庭上，他向后梳的灰色头发散落在翻起的衣领上。在April Newbauer法官确认Bannon现在想认罪之前，他坐在被告席上签署文件。
“这是你想要做的吗?”纽鲍尔问道。
“是的，法官大人，”班农回答道，然后承认自己欺诈了多个捐赠者。
"你现在承认第五项控罪，诈骗吗?"法庭书记员问。“是的，”班农回答。
法官判处了三年有条件释放的协议判决，在此期间，班农不能担任慈善机构的董事或非营利组织的筹款人。他还被禁止使用从“我们建墙”捐赠者那里收集的数据。
班农在听证会后表示，他将呼吁新司法部长帕姆·邦迪(Pam Bondi)起诉纽约司法部长莱蒂夏·詹姆斯(Letitia James)，并调查曼哈顿地区检察官阿尔文·布拉格(Alvin Bragg)，两人都对特朗普提起了成功的诉讼。
“利蒂夏·詹姆斯是特朗普政府的生存威胁，”班农说。
辩护律师阿瑟·艾达拉说，他建议班农认罪，因为他认为班农无法从曼哈顿的陪审员那里得到公平的待遇。
“这是他的一个惊人的性格，”艾达拉说，并指出除了慈善工作外，有条件的释放对班农没有真正的限制。
布拉格在认罪协议后发布了一份声明，称“这项决议实现了我们的首要目标:保护纽约的慈善机构和纽约人的慈善捐赠免受欺诈。由于这一重罪指控，被告将不能担任在纽约州拥有资产的任何慈善协会的官员、董事或任何受托人职务或为其筹款，也不能使用或出售WBTW捐赠者的信息。在我们的市场、我们的企业和我们的慈善机构中根除欺诈对纽约有着重要的利益，我们将继续这样做。”
“我们建墙”承诺100%的捐款将资助美国南部边境的一堵墙，但班农将资金转移到了其他地方。
班农在特朗普的第一个任期内担任高级顾问，于2022年9月被起诉。他先前不认罪，审判定于3月4日开始。
班农最初在联邦法院与三名共同被告一起受到指控。然而，特朗普赦免了班农但不是共同被告，他们的资产通过起诉被没收，为被诈骗的捐赠者追回了资金。
检察官表示，班农通过虚假承诺他们捐赠的钱不会用于支付“我们建造隔离墙”总裁布莱恩·科尔法格的工资，欺骗了非营利组织的捐赠者，同时通过第三方实体洗钱，秘密向他输送了数十万美元。
该运动表示，“我们建造隔离墙”将使用这笔钱私下建造边境墙，检察官表示，“支持这项筹款活动的公共信息的核心是，科尔法格没有拿一分钱的补偿。”财务记录显示，根据一项秘密的薪资安排，Kolfage获得了10万美元的预付款和大约2万美元的月付款。
Steve Bannon pleads guilty in border wall fraud case, avoids jail time
Steve Bannon, the confidant of President Donald Trump,pleaded guiltyTuesday to defrauding New Yorkers who donated to "We Build the Wall," an online fundraiser for Trump's signature project during his first term, in exchange for a sentence without prison time.
"The parties have worked out a plea agreement. Mr. Bannon will plead guilty to count 5 of the indictment, which is scheme to defraud in the indictment. He will receive a conditional discharge," prosecutor Jeffrey Levinson said.
The guilty plea to the felony charge represents Bannon's second criminal conviction afterhe served prison timefor contempt of Congress.
Bannon showed up to court in a brown barn jacket, his brushed-back gray hair spilling over the upturned collar. He sat at the defense table signing papers before Judge April Newbauer affirmed that Bannon now wanted to plead guilty.
"Is that what you wish to do?" Newbauer asked.
"Yes, your honor," Bannon replied, before acknowledging he acted to defraud multiple donors.
"Do you now plead guilty to count 5, scheme to defraud?" the court clerk asked. "Yes," Bannon responded.
The judge imposed the agreed upon sentence of a three-year conditional discharge, during which time Bannon cannot serve as a director of a charity or fundraise for a nonprofit. He is also barred from using data gathered from "We Build the Wall" donors.
Bannon said after the hearing that he would call on new Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute New York Attorney General Letitia James and investigate Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg, both of whom brought successful cases against Trump.
"Letitia James is the existential threat to the Trump administration," Bannon said.
Defense attorney Arthur Aidala said he counseled Bannon to plead out because he did not think Bannon could get a fair shake from jurors in Manhattan.
"This is a spectacular disposition with him," Aidala said, noting the conditional discharge puts no real limitations on Bannon other than charitable work.
Bragg released a statement after the plea agreement, saying, "This resolution achieves our primary goal: to protect New York’s charities and New Yorkers’ charitable giving from fraud. With this felony plea, the defendant will not be able to serve as an officer, director, or in any fiduciary position, or fundraise for, any charitable associations with assets in New York State, nor can he use or sell WBTW donors’ information. New York has an important interest in rooting out fraud in our markets, our corporations, and our charities, and we will continue to do just that."
"We Build the Wall" promised 100% of donations would fund a wall along the U.S. southern border, but Bannon redirected money elsewhere.
Bannon, who served as a senior adviser to Trump during his first term, was indicted in September 2022. He previously pleaded not guilty and the trial was scheduled to begin on March 4.
Bannon was initially charged in federal court with three co-defendants. However,Trump pardoned Bannon, but not the co-defendants, whose asset forfeitures through prosecution recouped money for defrauded donors.
Bannon defrauded donors to the nonprofit by falsely promising that none of the money they donated would be used to pay the salary of "We Build the Wall" president Brian Kolfage, while secretly funneling hundreds of thousands of dollars to him by laundering it through third-party entities, prosecutors said.
The campaign represented that "We Build the Wall" would use the money to privately construct the border wall, and prosecutors said a "central piece of the public messaging in support of this fundraising effort was that Kolfage was not taking a penny of compensation." Financial records show Kolfage was paid, according to a secret salary arrangement, an upfront payment of $100,000 and monthly payments of approximately $20,000.
