Feb 11, 2025 - Politics & Policy

Steve Bannon pleads guilty in border wall fraud case

Rebecca Falconer

Steve Bannon, former advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump, attends a hearing at Manhattan Criminal Court on February 11, 2025 in New York City — Steve Bannon, former advisor to President Trump, attends a hearing at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City on Tuesday. Photo: Curtis Means-Pool/Getty Images

Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a fraud charge related to a private fundraiser to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The big picture: Under the plea agreement, Bannon won't be sentenced to any jail time and instead received in the New York Supreme Court a conditional discharge for three years over the "We Build the Wall" scheme.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) brought the case after President Trump pardoned Bannon at the end of his first term in a similar federal case, but presidential pardons don't apply to state investigations.

Zoom in: Bannon had pleaded not guilty to charges including money laundering and conspiracy over the fundraiser, and defense attorney Arthur Aidala told reporters outside court that he counseled the 71-year-old to take the plea because he didn't believe he would get a fair trial in Democratic-leaning NYC.

What they're saying: Bragg said in a media statement that the plea deal "achieves our primary goal: to protect New York's charities and New Yorkers' charitable giving from fraud."

Read the plea agreement, via DocumentCloud:

Go deeper: Bannon associates sentenced to prison for border wall fundraising scam

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Steve Bannon pleads guilty in border wall fraud case

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