Steve Bannon and Brian Kolfage arrested for alleged border wall fundraising scam

| August 20, 2020

Donald Trump’s former adviser and former executive of Breitbart News Steve Bannon was arrested today by federal agents on a 150-foot yacht off the coast of Connecticut. Arrested at his home was his alleged co-conspirator, Senior Airman Brian Kolfage (ret). They have been charged with taking money from Kolfage’s We Build The Wall non-profit. Two other men involved in the scheme were also charged and all four have been indicted in the Southern District of New York.

Kolfage is the triple amputee Iraq War veteran who started a GoFundMe campaign to privately subsidize Trump’s southern border wall. He ultimately raised $25 million.

SDNY prosecutors allege in their indictment that Kolfage, who had said he wasn’t going to take any of the donated money, took $100,000 up front and then paid himself a $20,000/month salary. Bannon, who serves on the non-profit’s advisory board as chairman, is said to have pocketed $1 million. They are alleged to have hidden these funds by “creating sham invoices and accounts to launder donations and cover up their crimes.”

Kolfage has come up in conversation before, dating back to 2013. Here, here, and here.

Source; Daily Mail

Hat tip to MarineDad61

Category: 2020 Election, Guest Link, Politics

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Hack Stone

Corruption is corruption, regardless of party affiliation. If guilty, nail them. Of course, those who oppose “Orange Man” will use this to say that all Republicans are corrupt, while all of the time ignoring the corruption in the Democrat party at the federal, state and local levels.

MarineDad61

Hack Stone,
Of course. Within 1 hour… and it’s getting worse.
The MSM has turned it into Trump this, Biden that.
For me…
It’s alarming that most of the MSM is all over Bannon,
and all but ignoring Kolfage,
relegating Kolfage as 1 of “the others”,
and some seemingly not even knowing who Kolfage is.

Isn’t it apparent that Kolfage (and his wife) are the key?
But alas, neither Kolfage’s wife nor Shea’s wife were charged.

Ugh. Geez. And more ugh.
Thanks 🙂

https://heavy.com/news/2020/08/ashley-kolfage-brian-kolfage-wife/

Slow Joe

Oh shit.
I saw that.

Kolfage married a high maintenance money swallower.
A wannabe “influencer”.
I can see how that money disappeared from the non-profit.

Anyone betting on how long that marriage its going to last after the money dries up?

MarineDad61

She’s sure to try to dig her meathooks
into that Gary Sinise Foundation charity free house.
A house that should now be revoked,
and awarded to some other crippled war veteran.
KUDO to Gary Sinise….
His website pulled down their Kolfage page.

Delayed reaction….
but MORE news now pouring in on Mr. and Mrs. Kolfage.

2banana

The Southern District of New York DA and courts are the most hyper partisan and corrupt court in the nation.

Fyrfighter

Agree on SDNY… that being said, there’s enough questions to warrant a full investigation. if guilty, burn em down! If it turns out to be a furtherance of the witch hunt, then the ones responsible should be burned…

Anonymous

But it’s okay when Democrats take care of their kids…

Fyrfighter

Wait a second, Lars says there’s no double standard….and he NEVER lies…

Andy11M

They used to say “If you want to get rich, start a religion.”, now, if you want to get rich, start a charity.

Hondo

I wonder what MRFF’s one full-time paid employee might say about that?

Andy11M

HEY! I’m sure Mikey earns every penny of that 6 figure salary…….ok I have a lousy poker face.

MSG Eric

Of course he does, he literally works 80 hours a week for it!

LC

The worst example I know of this was from some years back – and thankfully they were eventually busted. A family of assholes started four cancer-related ‘charities’ and took in over $187M in donations:

https://www.local10.com/consumer/2016/03/30/feds-bust-charity-scams-in-largest-ever-charity-enforcement-action/

Unfortunately, I seem to recall that the family had to pay some meager fee of ~$100K or so, and that was it. So you’re pretty spot on. I hope I’m wrong about that, though.

11B-Mailclerk

No need for outright fraud. Many “charity fundraisers” pocket up to 90% of donations, as “operating expenses” “salaries” etc.

So GetTheDough is hired by LegitCharity to fundraise. They pull in ten grand. One grand goes to the needy. The other nine grand to … others.

That is before we get to “charities” that burn 60-80% on “expenses”.

I still give money, but I am now -way- pickier about how and who. Charitable giving, done right, is -work-

Andy11M

Indeed, when I first learned that depending on which state a “charity” is based in, the could give as little as 5% of the money they raise to their stated goal, and spend the rest on fundraising/salary/expenses, I pretty much only give locally to smaller charities.

Anonymous

Just ask the Clintons…

ChipNASA

Yeah, three times ought to do it….

Veritas Omnia Vincit

Their mistake was claiming “all” the money would be used to build the wall.

Never when operating any business for profit or not for profit should you use absolute terms for what you can deliver.

Had they said the majority of the funds would be used they’d be fine right now.

Wounded Warrior Project spends 40% of its collections on fund raising and salaries and yet the “majority” of its funds go to veterans.

How you word your promises is the difference between fraud and respectability.

Always better to under promise and over deliver than the other way around.

LC

I haven’t had time to read up on this, but I thought I heard one of the talking heads say they allegedly forged invoices and vendor agreements in order to hide the financial grift. I’d guess that still runs afoul of things, especially in a charity. They might be in less trouble had they claimed that most money went to the wall, but I think they’d still be in trouble if the above charges are true.

Poetrooper

Yep, from what I’ve read (at conservative sites) there was a definite attempt to hide the money trail, which if proved, screws them but good.

And if proved, justifiably so…

OWB

SDNY is notorious for being blind to Dem corruption while inventing Rep criminality, so yeah, it’s difficult to take this with anything other than a grain of salt. However, this smells like it might be legit. If so, throw the book at them.

Liars and thieves. Get rid of all of them.

11B-Mailclerk

It is also true that it is much harder for someone to do a political prosecution if folks stay clean.

Still can happen, but much harder.

“How would this fly in court?” “On TV?” “With Pop?” “At Judgement?”

Having that sort of review can prevent unpleasantness, especially for those trying to stay above-board.

Stacy0311

Cankles von Pantsuit laughs in Hatian patois

Jarhead

I am going to build a beanstalk that goes to the moon. No stairs, just an elevator. It will be for poor hungry people seeking moon pies, as well as recovering alcoholics.

My salary will be “probably” chump change, never to be missed. Won’t you please dig deep in your pockets and send me some Go Fund Me cash? In case you are wondering, you can trust me. Why, just look how popular my brother Marquise is. You know, the one who was featured on the story O’keese-Where Art Thou? Please have some pity.

MarineDad61

Food for thought, fellas….
Even before this,
Brian and Ashley Kolfage have been handed primo freebies, for YEARS,
including a custom built adaptive home,
to go along with the 100% disability,
and all the VA and gov’t support in the world, well, the USA.
(NOTE – The Gary Sinise Foundation has taken down the Kolfage page.)
Driving around in a new Range Rover, too.
It’s not their 1st luxury ride.
A little excessive.
Now looking awfully excessive.
Let’s see how much they keep… and how much they lose.
(Hint – The wife has been a glory and attention whore.)

https://nypost.com/2020/08/20/the-lavish-life-of-alleged-border-wall-scammer-brian-kolfage/

E4 Mafia '83-'87

So, so many charities are shady. Lots and lots of spending on ‘administrative’ expenses which is code for blowing money on themselves. Some are suspect, and some are outright fraud…case in point.

KoB

^WORD^ And the only thing we know for certain right now is that IDC SARC would hit that!