new york
CNN
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Conservative fire bond Steve Bannon pleaded guilty to deceiving donors in fundraising efforts to build walls along the southern US border in a deal he allowed to avoid prisons .
Bannon pleaded guilty to one state felony counts of plans to fraud in his first degree and was sentenced to three years of conditional discharge. He is not required to serve his time in prison or to pay compensation based on the transaction.
Prosecutor Jeffrey Levinson said there was no compensation as Bannon’s co-defendants in the related federal case have already returned millions of dollars to the victims.
Bannon spoke briefly in court to answer the judge’s questions.
“Yes, your honor,” he said when asked if he was engaged in a plan that pleaded guilty.
Prosecutors fought to stop recent efforts to delay the trial, which was scheduled to begin on March 4th. It is also marked a second felony conviction for Bannon, who was convicted of parliamentary light emptying. He served four months in federal prison and was released in November.
Bannon, former chief strategist of President Donald Trump, was charged in 2022 with state charges of money laundering, conspiracy and fraud. US-Mexico border. Prosecutors say Bannon and others raised more than $15 million by mistakenly claiming that the money would not be used to pay one of the founders’ salary.
After the hearing, Bannon used the moment to call Attorney General Pam Bondi and launched a criminal investigation with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and New York State Attorney General Letitia James.
“The existential threat to his administration is Letitia James, Queen of Law,” Bannon said.
Bannon was first charged with federal charges in 2020, along with others involved in the fundraising effort. Trump forgives Bannon before leaving his office in 2021, and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has launched its own investigation.
“This resolution will achieve our main goal: protecting New York charities and New York charities from fraud,” Bragg said later. “New York has a significant interest in eradicating fraud in our markets, businesses and charities. We will continue to do so.”
The guilty plea marks Bannon’s second criminal conviction. He was found guilty of parliament’s mild emptying charge for rebelling against a subpoena related to an investigation into the events of January 6th. Bannon served in federal prison for four months.
Last month, Bannon brought in Arthur Adara, a new lawyer who is the New York criminal defense attorney representing Harvey Weinstein.
Bannon told the judge that he held Adara to take a more positive attitude in the trial.
“I’ve been overwhelmed by political prosecution and persecution for years. When I go to trial, I need to be more aggressive. I use all the tools in the toolbox to fight this. “I will,” Bannon said at the time.
As part of his three-year conditional discharge, Bannon is prohibited from serving as an officer or nonprofit organization for a charity or nonprofit organization with assets in New York.
This story has been updated with additional details.
