NEW YORK:NEW YORK: Former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon pleaded guilty in New York state court on Tuesday (Feb 11) to a fraud charge related to his fundraising campaign for the US president’s wall along the US-Mexico border.
At a hearing, Bannon, 71, pleaded guilty to one count for scheme to defraud. He was immediately sentenced to three years of conditional release, avoiding jail time.
Bannon was charged with money laundering and conspiracy, and accused of deceiving donors in 2019 who contributed more than US$15 million to a private fundraising drive, known as We Build the Wall, during Trump’s first term in the White House.
As part of his sentence, Bannon is barred from serving on a New York nonprofit for three years and prohibited from using or selling donor data obtained as part of the scheme.
Bannon had previously pleaded not guilty and was scheduled to stand trial in March, under an indictment brought by the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Bannon did not address the court aside from entering the plea and confirming he understood his rights.
