Brian Kolfage, Wire Fraud, New Mexico 2024

Four men behind the viral ‘We Build the Wall’ online campaign are under federal indictment for allegedly defrauding hundreds of thousands of donors out of more than $25 million. Brian Kolfage, Stephen Bannon, Andrew Badolato, and Timothy Shea were arrested early this morning and charged with wire fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy. The funds, solicited from donors across the country—including in the Southern District of New York—were promised exclusively for construction of a U.S.-Mexico border wall, but instead were funneled into personal accounts and shell companies.

Kolfage, the founder and public face of the campaign, repeatedly claimed he would ‘not take a penny in salary or compensation,’ while Bannon, the former White House strategist, echoed that the effort was a ‘volunteer organization.’ But according to the indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court, those statements were lies. In reality, Kolfage secretly siphoned over $350,000 for his personal use—funding a luxury lifestyle—while Bannon’s nonprofit, Non-Profit-1, received more than $1 million from donor funds, some of which paid for Bannon’s personal expenses.

The scheme, which began in December 2018, relied on false narratives pushed through social media and online fundraising platforms. Donors were led to believe every dollar went directly to building barriers on private land near the southern border. Instead, the defendants allegedly created sham invoices and routed money through shell companies to conceal the theft. Timothy Shea used a shell entity under his control to launder payments from We Build the Wall to Kolfage via Bannon’s nonprofit, obscuring the trail of fraud.

Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss didn’t mince words: ‘The defendants defrauded hundreds of thousands of donors, capitalizing on their interest in funding a border wall to raise millions of dollars, under the false pretense that all of that money would be spent on construction.’ She emphasized that the case underscores the Department of Justice’s commitment to prosecuting fraud, no matter how politically charged the cause.

Inspector-in-Charge Philip R. Bartlett of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service called the deception deliberate and calculated. ‘They lied to donors, created fake invoices, and laundered donations to cover up their crimes,’ Bartlett said. ‘This case should serve as a warning to other fraudsters that no one is above the law, not even a disabled war veteran or a millionaire political strategist.’

The defendants are now facing federal court proceedings in multiple districts. Kolfage will appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Hope T. Cannon in the Northern District of Florida. Bannon is set for arraignment in the Southern District of New York, where the case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres. Badolato appears before Judge Thomas Wilson in the Middle District of Florida, while Shea faces Judge Kristen L. Mix in the District of Colorado. The indictment lays bare how patriotism was weaponized for profit—and how far the law will go to hold the powerful accountable.