A former associate of a Donald Trump staffer has been sentenced to prison time for ripping off people who donated to a US-Mexico wall.
Brian Kolfage, who was once close with Trump’s White House strategist Steve Bannon, will spend the next four years behind bars for blowing more than $350,000 donated to the “We Build the Wall” campaign. Prosecutors say the 41-year-old spent the cash on jewelry, boat payments, cosmetic surgery, and more. Kolfage, a former Air Force veteran who lost his legs and right hand in a rocket attack, started the “We Build The Wall” campaign on GoFundMe in December 2018 before making it into a nonprofit. The initiative brought in over $25 million to build the wall that Trump promised during his presidential campaign. While the group would eventually build a portion of the wall, Kolfage and his co-defendant financier Andrew Badolato stole thousands to line their own pockets. The men used falsified invoices, fake contracts, and multiple bank accounts to embezzle the money.
Bannon was chairman of “We Build The Wall” and CEO of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. He is also facing allegations of stealing money from the fundraiser. Trump pardoned Bannon before leaving the White House, but he still faces charges in the state.
Both Kolfage and Badolato pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Badolato was sentenced to three years. Attorneys for Kolfage asked that he receive home confinement due to his disability. However, Judge Analisa Torres did not show mercy on Kolfage at Wednesday’s sentencing, claiming he and Badolato broke the public’s trust by selfishly taking the money.
“I made a promise not to personally benefit, and I broke that promise,” Kolfage told the judge.
