Steve Bannon pleads guilty in border wall scheme, avoids prison time

Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, now a popular podcaster, shocked his audience when it was revealed last week that he entered a guilty plea for a case involving a fund for the border wall.

According to The Hill, Bannon, who was indicted in the case in 2020, was "accused of helping funnel money from a charity that would collect donations from people to privately build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border," the outlet reported. 

The indictment said that Bannon used hundreds of thousands of dollars from the fund for his own personal expenses.

The funds were also reportedly used to pay the co-founder of the proposed project.

What's going on?

Bannon originally got out of the potential legal trouble as he was pardoned in the final hours of President Donald Trump's first term in the White House.

However, roughly a year later, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg brought new charges against the former Trump adviser, who was accused over taking in love $1 million from the private border wall project.

The project, We Build the Wall, was co-founded by Brian Kolfage, who was ultimately sentenced to four years in prison in 2023.

The Hill noted:

An attorney representing one of the three other co-defendants in the case said Bannon was the key beneficiary of the plot. He was accused of taking more than $1 million through the scheme and paying some of it to Kolfage.

🚨BREAKING: Steve Bannon Speaks

to Press After Accepting Plea Deal With No Penalties and Calls on Attorney General Pam Bondi to Launch a Criminal Investigation Into Letitia James, Alvin Bragg, and Others for Their Actions Against President Trump. pic.twitter.com/Hn4FToyZ76

— Trump Girl 🇺🇲🦅🇺🇲 (@MAGA__Patriot) February 11, 2025

Aside from avoiding prison as part of the plea deal, Bannon "is barred from fundraising or serving in a leadership or fiduciary position for charitable organization in New York state," the outlet added.

Social media reacts

Users across social media reacted to Bannon's legal situation.

"Great to see Steve Bannon standing up for himself and calling out the corruption... he's faced from Letitia James and Alvin Bragg," one X user wrote, referring to Bannon's call for AG Pam Bondi to investigate Bragg and other anti-Trump prosecutors.

Another X user wrote, "@PamBondi investigate these people. You have a busy schedule. We the people are happy with you."

It's not a stretch to assume that Bragg and other anti-Trump prosecutors have a long legal road ahead of them.