Steve Bannon, former advisor to former U.S. President and now President-elect Donald Trump, sits at the New York Criminal Court for a pre-trial conference hearing in his fraud case stemming from a fundraising effort to build a border wall, in New York City, U.S., November 12, 2024.Â
Shannon Stapleton | Reuters
A New York judge on Monday delayed the start of the criminal trial for Steve Bannon, a close ally of President-elect Donald Trump and his former White House adviser.
Bannon is facing numerous charges from the Manhattan district attorney’s office for allegedly defrauding donors who believed they were giving money to build a wall at the southern U.S. border. He pleaded not guilty.
Bannon’s trial had been scheduled for Dec. 9. At a hearing Monday, Judge April Newbauer pushed the date back to Feb. 25 after granting prosecutors’ motion to allow additional financial evidence into the case that they say goes to Bannon’s motive.
“We’re not changing it again,” Newbauer told both sides including Bannon, who attended virtually.
Bannon was indicted in the case in Sept. 2022 and hit with charges including money laundering, scheming to defraud, and conspiracy.
Bannon was chair of the “advisory group” for an organization called WeBuildTheWall.Inc, which prosecutors say duped thousands of donors by telling them that all of the money raised would go to build a wall along the southern border and not to the people running the effort.
Bannon used some of the money to enrich himself and the group’s founder, Brian Kolfage, prosecutors say.
Three other members of the group, including Kolfage, have already been convicted of charges related to the scheme.
Bannon maintains he was targeted for political reasons by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat. Bragg won a conviction earlier this year against Trump in an unrelated case.
Bannon was initially hit with charges related to the same scheme by federal prosecutors in Aug. 2020. He pleaded not guilty and was later pardoned by Trump.
Presidents cannot issue pardons in state cases. Bannon faces up to 15 years behind bars if convicted.
The “War Room” host recently completed a four-month prison sentence for defying subpoenas for testimony and documents from the House Jan. 6 committee related to the 2021 assault on the Capitol.
