Steve Bannon, a longtime ally of President Donald Trump, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a charge that he defrauded donors who gave money to a private campaign to build a wall along the U.S. southern border.
Bannon pleaded guilty to one scheme to defraud count and was sentenced to three years conditional discharge. He will avoid jail time as part of a plea agreement as long as he stays out of trouble.
When reporters asked Bannon how he felt as he left the courtroom, he responded: “Like a million bucks.”
Bannon’s lawyer told reporters outside the court that there was no way his client could get a fair trial.
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Another condition of the plea agreement states Bannon is barred from fundraising for or serving as “an officer, director, or in any other fiduciary position” for any charitable organization with assets in New York state. He also cannot use, sell or possess any data gathered from donors to the border wall scheme.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg praised the plea agreement.
“This resolution achieves our primary goal: to protect New York’s charities and New Yorkers’ charitable giving from fraud,” Bragg said in a statement.
He added: “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.”
Bannon, 71, pleaded not guilty in September 2022 to a state court indictment charging him with money laundering, fraud and conspiracy in the “We Build the Wall” scheme.
This is a breaking news story; check back for updates.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
