US Judge Sets May Trial Date for Bannon, Co-Defendants on Border Wall Fraud Charges

A U.S. judge on Monday set a May 2021 trial date for 👤Steve Bannon, a former adviser to 👤Donald Trump, and three co-defendants on charges of defrauding donors in a scheme to build the president’s signature wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Federal prosecutors on Aug. 20 accused Bannon, U.S. Air Force veteran Brian Kolfage and two others of orchestrating a scheme to defraud hundreds of thousands of dollars in connection with a $25 million crowdfunding campaign called “We Build the Wall.”

Bannon and Kolfage used hundreds of thousands of dollars of that money to cover personal expenses, according to the charges.

Kolfage, Andrew Badolato, and Timothy Shea all pleaded not guilty at a virtual hearing on Monday. They were granted bail and will surrender their passports. Bannon, 66, pleaded not guilty earlier this month.

U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres in Manhattan set May 24, 2021 as the trial date for the case.

During the virtual hearing, the judge noted that only a few courtrooms in the building were outfitted to handle technical challenges posed by the novel coronavirus pandemic.

“I’m going to be optimistic and hope that we have courtrooms available,” she said.

Kolfage lost both legs and his right hand in a 2004 rocket attack in Iraq.

Bannon, as a top adviser to Trump’s presidential campaign and later White House chief strategist, helped articulate the “America First” right-wing populism and fierce opposition to immigration that have been hallmarks of Trump’s 3-1/2 years in office.