A judge announced Thursday that Steve Bannon, a conservative strategist who has been a longtime ally to Donald Trump, would be tried in May next year on charges of defrauding donors who donated money for the construction of a wall at the southern border.
Bannon’s “We Build the Wall Case” trial will begin on May 27, 2024. This is right after the former President is scheduled to be tried in the same Manhattan courtroom for a criminal case that has nothing to do with the case .
Bannon, who is 69 years old, was indicted on charges of state money laundering, conspiracy and fraud last September. Alvin Bragg, Manhattan’s District Attorney, took on the case when Bannon’s federal prosecution ended due to a Trump pardon. Pardons by the president are only applicable to federal crimes and not state offenses.
Bannon has been accused of misleading donors by falsely promising that money donated to the We Build the Wall Campaign would be used for the construction of a wall on the U.S. Mexico border. Prosecutors claim that the money instead was used to enrich Bannon, and other people involved in the project.
Steve Bannon in Manhattan Supreme Court to set his trial date on Thursday.
Curtis Means / Getty Images pool
Brian Kolfage and Andrew Badolato were sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to federal charges . Timothy Shea was found guilty in October. He is due to be sentenced the following month.
Both the Bannon and Trump trials are presided over by Judge Juan Manuel Merchan. Bannon remains free until his trial. The hearing on Thursday lasted only four minutes.
Bannon told the courtroom as he drove away in a black SUV, “We’ll be back here in May.”
