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Andrew Badolato was sentenced to three years in prison and Brian Kolfage four years and three months, after being accused of channeling donor contributions into their own pockets.
In 2019, Brian Kolfage, an Air Force veteran injured in Iraq, formed a nonprofit group to construct the border barrier that then-President Donald J. Trump had promised. It was called simply We Build the Wall.
Mr. Kolfage had three co-founders: a Colorado entrepreneur named Timothy Shea; a Florida financier, Andrew Badolato; and Stephen K. Bannon, who had served as an adviser to Mr. Trump.
Mr. Badolato and Mr. Bannon took significant control of day-to-day operations, according to federal prosecutors. Mr. Kolfage, who lost both legs and part of his right arm in Iraq, was the group’s public face, pledging that all money raised would go toward a wall between the United States and Mexico and that he would “not take a penny of compensation.”
In 2020, however, prosecutors accused Mr. Badolato, Mr. Bannon, Mr. Kolfage and Mr. Shea of receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars, with some going to personal expenses, like boat payments.
Mr. Badolato and Mr. Kolfage pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy in 2022, with Mr. Kolfage also admitting tax crimes. Last fall, Mr. Shea was convicted of wire fraud conspiracy, falsifying records and conspiring to launder money. Mr. Bannon was spared a trial after being pardoned by Mr. Trump.
www.nytimes.com
In 2019, Brian Kolfage, an Air Force veteran injured in Iraq, formed a nonprofit group to construct the border barrier that then-President Donald J. Trump had promised. It was called simply We Build the Wall.
Mr. Kolfage had three co-founders: a Colorado entrepreneur named Timothy Shea; a Florida financier, Andrew Badolato; and Stephen K. Bannon, who had served as an adviser to Mr. Trump.
Mr. Badolato and Mr. Bannon took significant control of day-to-day operations, according to federal prosecutors. Mr. Kolfage, who lost both legs and part of his right arm in Iraq, was the group’s public face, pledging that all money raised would go toward a wall between the United States and Mexico and that he would “not take a penny of compensation.”
In 2020, however, prosecutors accused Mr. Badolato, Mr. Bannon, Mr. Kolfage and Mr. Shea of receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars, with some going to personal expenses, like boat payments.
Mr. Badolato and Mr. Kolfage pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy in 2022, with Mr. Kolfage also admitting tax crimes. Last fall, Mr. Shea was convicted of wire fraud conspiracy, falsifying records and conspiring to launder money. Mr. Bannon was spared a trial after being pardoned by Mr. Trump.
Judge Sentences Trump Allies in ‘We Build the Wall’ Scheme (Published 2023)
Andrew Badolato was sentenced to three years in prison and Brian Kolfage four years and three months, after being accused of channeling donor contributions into their own pockets.
