


The man who hatched a plan to steal millions from Trump supporters in the name of building the wall was just sentenced to over four years in prison.
Via the AP:
The co-founder of a fundraising group linked to Steve Bannon that promised to help Donald Trump construct a wall along the southern U.S. border was sentenced to four years and three months in prison on Wednesday for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from donors.
Brian Kolfage, a decorated Air Force veteran who lost both of his legs and an arm in the Iraq War, previously pleaded guilty for his role in siphoning donations from the We Build the Wall campaign.
A co-defendant, financier Andrew Badolato, was also sentenced to three years for aiding the effort. He had also pleaded guilty. A third man involved in siphoning funds from the wall project, Colorado businessman Tim Shea, won’t be sentenced until June.
Kolfage and Badolato were also ordered to pay $25 million in restitution to the victims.
Absent from the case was Bannon, Trump’s former top political adviser. He was initially arrested aboard a luxury yacht and faced federal fraud charges along with the other men, but Trump pardoned him during his final hours in office.
Kolfage raised 25 million from people who were desperate to see a border wall built on the southern border, all so he could get rich.
Here’s a reminder of what was stolen:
Kolfage received more than $350,000 in donor funds, which he spent on personal expenses that included boat payments, a luxury SUV and cosmetic surgery, prosecutors said in a court filing.
Bannon was accused of taking more than $1 million through a separate nonprofit, then secretly paying some of it back to Kolfage.
Badolato, 58, and Shea also stole hundreds of thousands from fundraisers as well, prosecutors said.
As part of a plea deal, Kolfage and Badolato agreed not to challenge a sentence within the agreed-upon range: between four to five years for Kolfage and 3 1/2 to four years for Badolato.
Kolfage presented himself as an American hero, having lost both legs in the Iraq War, and used to that dupe Trump supporters.
I think serving the four years is going to be the easy part. How is and his partner in crime ever going to be able to pay back the $25 million??