Steve Bannon, former White House advisor under President Trump, is set to stand trial starting Dec. 9 on charges of defrauding donors in an online fundraiser for building additional sections of the U.S. southern border wall.
Prosecutors announced at a Tuesday hearing that their evidence presentation would take three to four days, while Bannon's defense team estimated their case would require about two days. Bannon, who has pleaded not guilty, did not attend the hearing as he is currently serving a federal prison sentence for contempt of Congress after defying a House Jan. 6 select committee subpoena.
The Manhattan district attorney's office stated that the nonprofit We Build the Wall had promised donors that the funds raised would be used for construction. However, reports indicate that the organization's president, Brian Kolfage, received payments through a secret arrangement. In April 2023, Kolfage was sentenced to 51 months in prison for misappropriating money from the campaign, which had raised approximately $25 million.
