It’s being reported today that Brian Kolfage, who began the “We Build the Wall” campaign and raised more than $25 million, will plead guilty to wire fraud conspiracy.
Kolfage took $350,000 from the money he raised to spend on a boat, a luxury SUV, and other items for himself. He had said he wouldn’t take a penny of the money raised.
REUTERS – A decorated U.S. Air Force veteran accused of defrauding donors in a fundraising campaign to help former President Donald Trump build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border has agreed to plead guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and three tax charges.
The U.S. Department of Justice revealed their plea agreement with Brian Kolfage, who led the “We Build the Wall” campaign, in a filing on Wednesday with the U.S. District Court in Manhattan.
Kolfage is expected to formally enter his plea on April 21 before U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres. His lawyer did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The government had in August 2020 charged Kolfage, former Trump adviser Steve Bannon and two other defendants over We Build the Wall.
Kolfage, of Miramar Beach, Florida, created the private campaign in December 2018, 14 years after losing his legs and his right hand in a rocket attack in Iraq. He became steeped in conservative politics after returning from that country.
Prosecutors said Kolfage told prospective donors he would “not take a penny” as he raised more than $25 million, yet took more than $350,000 and spent money on a boat, a luxury SUV, a golf cart, jewelry and cosmetic surgery, among other expenses.
The wire fraud conspiracy charge carries a maximum 20-year prison term. The tax charges, originally filed in Florida, include filing false tax returns and wire fraud.
I doubt he gets 20 years, but I’m sure he’ll serve some time for stealing the donations.
But Kolfage isn’t the only one pleading guilty:
Kolfage’s co-defendant Andrew Badolato is also expected to enter a guilty plea on April 21, court records show.
The final defendant, Timothy Shea, had agreed in principle to also plead guilty but changed his mind, prosecutors said last week.
“Mr. Shea is exercising his constitutional right to a fair trial,” his lawyer John Meringolo said in an email on Wednesday.
As far as Bannon goes, he was pardoned by Trump so he’s in the clear.
I will say that it is highly disappointing that Kolfage would do this after becoming such a beloved conservative who everyone thought really cared about the southern border and protecting the country from rampant illegal immigration. We were very much rooting for him at TRS.
But I guess greed got him in the end, or perhaps it was always there. Whatever the case, now he’s gotta pay for his crimes.