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If convicted, Steve Bannon could be in jail "for many, many years," CNN analysts says
From CNN's Aditi Sangal
Former US President advisor Steve Bannon delivers a speech during the Front National party annual congress on March 10, 2018 in Lille, France. Sylvain Lefevre/Getty Images“In a lot of ways this is fraud 101 blown up because [of] the massive amounts we're talking about here,” CNN legal analyst Elie Honig said about federal prosecutors charging Steve Bannon and three others with defrauding donors in a border wall fundraising campaign.
How strong is the evidence? “This should be very provable,” Honig told CNN’s Jim Sciutto.
“You can pick up clues from the indictment. And in the indictment, the SDNY talks about how they have fake invoices and sham vendor arrangements. That tells me the SDNY has those documents," he added, referencing the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
“Fake invoices — that's about as lay-down-your-hand proof as you can have. So it looks to me like this is a paper case, this is provable on the documents,” he added.
“Steve Bannon’s in a lot of trouble given the fraud amount here — $25 million. He could be going to jail for many, many years if he is convicted.”
White House declines to comment on Bannon's indictment
From CNN's Betsy Klein
White House director of strategic communications Alyssa Farah did not comment on the arrest and indictment of former Trump campaign adviser Steve Bannon.
She told the pool: “I refer you to DOJ, this is not a White House matter."
Here's what will happen next
From CNN's Aditi Sangal
Following his arrest this morning, Steve Bannon will be presented in court later today, CNN’s Kara Scannell reports.
The hearings will be done virtually.
The case will be processed by the FBI. Bannon's fingerprints will be taken. Then he will be presented in court in New York. The initial hearing will deal with the terms of his release.
The initial hearing is usually brief and there will be an arraignment where Bannon will enter a plea in the near future.
We Build the Wall founder allegedly used money to fund his lavish lifestyle, SDNY says
Retired U.S. Air Force Sr. Airman Brian Kolfage speaks with the media during a groundbreaking ceremony in Sandestin, Florida, on January 14, 2016. Devon Ravine/Northwest Florida Daily News/APFormer Trump campaign adviser Steve Bannon and We Build the Wall founder Brian Kolfage — along with two others — have been charged with fraud by federal prosecutors in New York.
A triple amputee Air Force veteran and motivational speaker, Kolfage was the leader of the online, crowd-funded campaign to build a border wall. Here's what acting US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Audrey Strauss said:
While repeatedly assuring donors that Brian Kolfage, the founder and public face of We Build the Wall, would not be paid a cent, the defendants secretly schemed to pass hundreds of thousands of dollars to Kolfage, which he used to fund his lavish lifestyle.
We thank the USPIS for their partnership in investigating this case, and we remain dedicated to rooting out and prosecuting fraud wherever we find it.”
What the charges against Steve Bannon mean, according to CNN's legal analyst
From CNN's Aditi Sangal
Former White House strategist Steve Bannon arrives to testify at the trial of Roger Stone at a federal court in Washington, DC, on November 8, 2019. Al Drago/APFederal prosecutors have charged Steve Bannon and three others with defrauding donors in a border wall fundraising campaign. Bannon, Trump’s former campaign adviser, has been arrested. Elie Honig, CNN’s legal analyst, said this is “essentially, a massive embezzlement that’s being alleged here and a fraud.”
The alleged fraud is in the way that the defendants, including Steve Bannon, marketed this “build the wall” operation, Honig explained.
“In a way, it's really a straight-forward fraud and embezzlement case and the evidence looks quite strong to me,” he added.
Given the potential political nature of the case, the charges would have to be at least notified to typically to the deputy attorney general, according to Honig, who added that the deputy would have certainly notified Attorney General Bill Barr.
“I think the most reasonable way to look at this is that this was approved,” he said. “The SDNY is famously independent from politics.”
However, it is still under the supervision of the attorney general and in a case like this with potential political implications, it has to go to the main justice and the attorney general, he explained.
Watch:
Read the full indictment in the Bannon border wall fraud case
From CNN's Karl de Vries
Steve Bannon, a former top ally of President Trump, has been arrested along with three others in connection with an alleged scheme to defraud donors of hundreds of thousands of dollars in a border wall fundraising campaign.
Read the full indictment here.
Bannon will appear in court today
Steve Bannon, former advisor to President Trump, arrives at a House Intelligence Committee closed door meeting, on January 16, 2018 in Washington, DC. Mark Wilson/Getty ImagesSteve Bannon, a former top ally of President Trump, was arrested this morning, according to a spokesperson for the US attorney’s office.
He is expected to make his initial court appearance in New York later today, according to the US attorney’s office.
Bannon’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
What you need to know about Steve Bannon
Former White House strategist Steve Bannon pauses prior to an interview in Paris on May 27, 2019. Thibault Camus/APFormer Trump counselor Steve Bannon was charged alongside three others with defrauding donors in a border wall fundraising campaign. He was arrested this morning.
Here's what we know about the former White House official:
Defendants allegedly schemed to create sham invoices and accounts, SDNY says
Steve Bannon in 2017 Scott Olson/Getty ImagesFederal prosecutors on Thursday charged Steve Bannon and three others with defrauding donors of hundreds of thousands of dollars in a border wall fundraising campaign. In an excerpt from the Southern District of New York, Inspector-in-Charge Philip R. Bartlett said:
As alleged, not only did they lie to donors, they schemed to hide their misappropriation of funds by creating sham invoices and accounts to launder donations and cover up their crimes, showing no regard for the law or the truth.
This case should serve as a warning to other fraudsters that no one is above the law, not even a disabled war veteran or a millionaire political strategist.”
