Former White House adviser Steve Bannon’s state trial on fraud charges related to an effort to crowdsource funding for a border wall has been postponed until Feb. 25, a New York judge announced on Monday.
Bannon, who recently completed a four-month federal prison sentence for contempt of Congress, faces charges related to his involvement in the “We Build the Wall” campaign, which allegedly defrauded donors during former President-elect Donald Trump’s first term.
Judge April Newbauer rescheduled the trial from its original date of Dec. 9 after allowing prosecutors to introduce evidence that funds from the Wall charity were used in 2019 to pay off over $600,000 in credit card debt from a separate nonprofit organization associated with Bannon.
Defense attorneys pushed for a delay in the trial, arguing they would need extra time to respond to the new evidence prosecutors plan to use against them.
Attending the hearing virtually, Bannon confirmed his understanding of the new trial date but did not provide further comment, according to the Associated Press. Prosecutors have also requested that the identities of the jurors remain anonymous due to the high-profile nature of the case, though Judge Newbauer has yet to make a ruling on this matter.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, the same prosecutor who went after Trump in a separate criminal hush money case, charged Bannon in 2022 with conspiracy, money laundering, fraud, and other related offenses. Bannon has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The state case mirrors a previous federal prosecution in which Bannon was indicted alongside two associates in August 2020 for the same fundraising scheme. While his associates were sentenced to prison last year, Bannon received a presidential pardon from Trump in 2021 before the federal case could proceed.
Bannon’s legal team has been pushing to relocate the trial, and last week the judge indicated a willingness to consider such a request.
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The “We Build the Wall” campaign was a private fundraising initiative aiming to construct a wall along the United States-Mexico border, a key promise of Trump’s presidential agenda.
Prosecutors allege that Bannon and others misappropriated funds for personal use, deceiving donors who believed their contributions would directly support the construction efforts.