Bannon to stand trial in December for alleged fraud related to border wall online fundraiser

Steve Bannon, former White House advisor under former President Trump, will stand trial striating on Dec. 9 related to charges he defrauded donors with an online fundraiser for building additional miles of wall along the U.S. southern border.

Prosecutors said at a hearing on Tuesday they would present their evidence over a three to four day period and defense attorneys said their case would last about two days.

Bannon has pleaded not guilty. 

He was not in attendance at the hearing given that he is currently serving a federal prison sentence for contempt of Congress related to defying a subpoena from the House Jan. 6 select committee. 

The Manhattan district attorney's office has said the nonprofit We Build the Wall had pledged to donors that the money raised would be used to pay Brian Kolfage, the organization's president. He was apparently paid through a secret arrangement, according to reports. In April 2023, he was sentenced to 51 months in prison for stealing money from the online campaign, which raised about $25 million.