- Trump ally Steve Bannon surrendered for arraignment shortly after 9 a.m. Thursday.
- The New York attorney general’s office will hold a press conference at 1 p.m. ET to discuss the indictment.
- Bannon’s arraignment is expected to take place around 2:15 p.m. ET.
Steve Bannon, a longtime adviser to former President Donald Trump, surrendered for arraignment Thursday morning in New York City on new criminal charges involving an alleged fundraising scheme, Bannon’s lawyer David Schoen confirmed to USA TODAY.
The case is expected to echo aspects of a previous federal criminal case that accused Bannon and three co-defendants of conspiring to dupe donors who contributed more than $25 million to build a security wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Those who ponied up to a crowdfunding campaign allegedly were assured all of the money raised would go toward the construction project – helping to boost a signature goal of the Trump White House.
However, the federal indictment in that case alleged that Bannon and his co-defendants secretly siphoned off hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations. Bannon collected more than $1 million via a non-profit organization he controlled, and used the funds to pay personal expenses and other costs, federal prosecutors allege.
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Schoen told USA TODAY that Bannon does not yet know what charges he faces.
The New York attorney general’s office scheduled a press conference for 1 p.m. ET to discuss the indictment against Bannon, which is still sealed. USA TODAY requested comment from the attorney general’s office.
Bannon’s arraignment will take place around 2:15 p.m. ET, according to the district attorney’s office.
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Walking into Manhattan Criminal Court, Bannon told reporters and onlookers that the prosecution against him is political.
“This is irony – on the very day the mayor of this city has a delegation down on the border, they’re persecuting here,” Bannon yelled over hecklers, referring to New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ delegation of officials sent to the southern border earlier this week on a “fact-finding mission” regarding migrants being bussed from Texas to New York.
One heckler yelled back: “Stop hurting America, you greasy, two-bit grifter!”
In the federal case, the alleged conspirators pleaded not guilty. Trump pardoned Bannon in the closing days of his White House term, aborting the federal case against the strategist.
However, then-Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., launched an investigation of the alleged scheme using state criminal statutes. State criminal charges cannot be wiped away by presidential pardons.
Alvin Bragg, Vance’s successor as Manhattan’s top local prosecutor, continued the investigation, leading to the anticipated new charges.
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The case is not the only criminal matter entangling Bannon, 68, the media executive and right-wing political strategist who served as an adviser in the Trump White House and remained in contact with Trump even after he was pushed out.
Bannon was convicted in July on two counts of contempt for refusing to appear before the special House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters aiming to block certification of Joe Biden’s presidential campaign win.
Committee members sought testimony and documents from Bannon because he was believed to be in contact with Trump during the weeks leading to the attack on the Capitol.
Bannon, who is scheduled to be sentenced in October on that conviction, said after the verdict that he planned to file an appeal.
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Contributing: Associated Press
