GoFundMe launched to pay for Trump's border wall, $1M in two days

Zoii

Well-Known Member
Oct 13, 2016
5,811
3,982
23
Australia
✟103,785.00
Country
Australia
Faith
Seeker
Marital Status
Single
  • This was one of Trump's major election promises - The wall - It was going to deal with the entire US Mex border despite criticisms it was ridiculous.
  • Then GoFundMe gets going when Trumps fails to get all the funds he demanded.
  • The GoFundMe gets raided by Steve Bannon and he's Prosecuted for fraud and embezzlement.
  • Trump washes his hands and says he has nothing to do with Steve Bannon. He pretty much tells the media he doesn't know much of Steve Bannon and the funding affairs.
  • Only 15 miles new wall was built in the four years of his office despite Trump lauding how critical it was. That said, there was 350 miles of existing wall that needed to be replaced/upgraded that was completed.
  • There has been no report indicating an improvement in illegal migrant entry attributable to the tiny piece of wall constructed.
  • Trump, despite saying he knows nothing of Steve Bannon, pardons him for the embezzlement of donor funds.
  • Trump fans AKA Maga sycophants stay silent on the issue or make an alternative version of affairs that fit their delusions.
 
Upvote 0

essentialsaltes

Stranger in a Strange Land
Oct 17, 2011
32,828
36,129
Los Angeles Area
✟820,797.00
Country
United States
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Legal Union (Other)
Upvote 0

Nithavela

our world is happy and mundane
Apr 14, 2007
27,997
19,443
Comb. Pizza Hut and Taco Bell/Jamaica Avenue.
✟489,034.00
Country
Germany
Faith
Other Religion
Marital Status
Single
  • This was one of Trump's major election promises - The wall - It was going to deal with the entire US Mex border despite criticisms it was ridiculous.
  • Then GoFundMe gets going when Trumps fails to get all the funds he demanded.
  • The GoFundMe gets raided by Steve Bannon and he's Prosecuted for fraud and embezzlement.
  • Trump washes his hands and says he has nothing to do with Steve Bannon. He pretty much tells the media he doesn't know much of Steve Bannon and the funding affairs.
  • Only 15 miles new wall was built in the four years of his office despite Trump lauding how critical it was. That said, there was 350 miles of existing wall that needed to be replaced/upgraded that was completed.
  • There has been no report indicating an improvement in illegal migrant entry attributable to the tiny piece of wall constructed.
  • Trump, despite saying he knows nothing of Steve Bannon, pardons him for the embezzlement of donor funds.
  • Trump fans AKA Maga sycophants stay silent on the issue or make an alternative version of affairs that fit their delusions.
I have zero sympathy for the people who were embezzled here. This was obvious from day one. A fool and his money are soon parted.
 
  • Agree
Reactions: GoldenBoy89
Upvote 0

essentialsaltes

Stranger in a Strange Land
Oct 17, 2011
32,828
36,129
Los Angeles Area
✟820,797.00
Country
United States
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Legal Union (Other)
I have zero sympathy for the people who were embezzled here. This was obvious from day one. A fool and his money are soon parted.

At least as far as anyone in this thread is concerned, all I can feel is...

you-were-warned
 
Upvote 0

Eight Foot Manchild

His Supreme Holy Correctfulness
Sep 9, 2010
2,389
1,605
Somerville, MA, USA
✟147,994.00
Country
United States
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Married
Either way I still got it so who cares?

Uh huh. I'm sure when you said this,

That's fine. However you need to grapple with it for it to sink in. The only people that have failed are the ones that attempted to block it. Call it what you want... say what you want. The wall is going up. And there is honestly not a thing that can be done to stop it. Whatever you need to do/say to make yourself feel better, have at it. I honestly hope you can get over the fact that Trump's wall is getting built and you can move on in life.

This outcome is exactly what you had in mind.

You moved the goalposts so far, only the Hubble telescope can see them.
 
  • Agree
Reactions: NxNW
Upvote 0

essentialsaltes

Stranger in a Strange Land
Oct 17, 2011
32,828
36,129
Los Angeles Area
✟820,797.00
Country
United States
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Legal Union (Other)
At least as far as anyone in this thread is concerned, all I can feel is...

you-were-warned

Bannon partner in alleged border wall fundraising fraud scheme hit with new tax charges

In an indictment, prosecutors alleged that Kolfage claimed to the IRS in his 2019 tax return that he had a total income of just over $63,000 and did not report hundreds of thousands of dollars deposited into his personal bank account from “We Build the Wall” and other sources.

Federal prosecutors in New York last year charged Bannon, Kolfage and two others with defrauding donors to the campaign, which was publicly supported by several of Trump’s allies and raised more than $25 million from hundreds of thousands of donors. In an indictment in that case, prosecutors alleged that the men lied when they said they would not take any compensation from the campaign.

Bannon received a pardon from Trump. Kolfage and the others did not.
 
Upvote 0

Hank77

Well-Known Member
Supporter
Jun 26, 2015
26,368
15,457
✟1,099,338.00
Country
United States
Faith
Non-Denom
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Others
For those who don't have a subscription to WaPo.

The guy who crowdfunded $25 million to build Trump's border wall just got indicted on tax-fraud charges

‘We Build The Wall’ Co-Founder Kolfage Indicted in Tax Case
Kolfage, a disabled Air Force veteran, was indicted in Pensacola, Florida, this week for filing a false tax return and fraud. Federal prosecutors said that Kolfage received hundreds of thousands of dollars from different organizations, including We Build the Wall Inc., which he deposited in his personal bank account...

DocumentCloud
Court documents.
 
Upvote 0

TLK Valentine

I've already read the books you want burned.
Apr 15, 2012
64,493
30,319
Behind the 8-ball, but ahead of the curve.
✟541,512.00
Country
United States
Faith
Agnostic
Marital Status
Single
For those who don't have a subscription to WaPo.

The guy who crowdfunded $25 million to build Trump's border wall just got indicted on tax-fraud charges

‘We Build The Wall’ Co-Founder Kolfage Indicted in Tax Case
Kolfage, a disabled Air Force veteran, was indicted in Pensacola, Florida, this week for filing a false tax return and fraud. Federal prosecutors said that Kolfage received hundreds of thousands of dollars from different organizations, including We Build the Wall Inc., which he deposited in his personal bank account...

DocumentCloud
Court documents.

Ouch. And Donald's not around anymore to pardon Kolfage.
 
Upvote 0

essentialsaltes

Stranger in a Strange Land
Oct 17, 2011
32,828
36,129
Los Angeles Area
✟820,797.00
Country
United States
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Legal Union (Other)
Trump pardoned Bannon specifically for this fraud. Trump doesn't care about Trump supporters who got defrauded of money. Suckers.

"President Trump granted a full pardon to Stephen Bannon. Prosecutors pursued Mr. Bannon with charges related to fraud stemming from his involvement in a political project,"

The charges for Bannon have been formally dismissed.

In her decision Tuesday, the judge pointed to past judicial discussions on pardons and what they imply about individuals who receive one. She quoted from a New Jersey court that, in 1833, found that “pardon implies guilt.”

Trump pardoned Bannon in late January as one of his last acts as president.

Bannon’s three co-defendants were not issued pardons and are preparing to stand trial in federal court. All have denied wrongdoing. Separately, New York state investigators opened a case after Trump’s pardon.
 
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

HannahT

Newbie
Supporter
Apr 9, 2013
6,027
2,422
✟458,831.00
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Yep,

Of course, “a pardon does not, standing alone, render [a defendant] innocent of the
alleged . . . violation.” Schaffer, 240 F.3d at 38. Nor does a pardon before conviction “blot out
probable cause of guilt or expunge an indictment.” In re North, 62 F.3d 1434, 1437 (D.C. Cir.
1994). To the contrary, from the country’s earliest days, courts, including the Supreme Court,
have acknowledged that even if there is no formal admission of guilt, the issuance of a pardon
may “carr[y] an imputation of guilt; acceptance a confession of it.” Burdick v. United States,
236 U.S. 79, 94 (1915); see also United States v. Noonan, 906 F. 2d 952, 958–60 (3d Cir. 1990)
(discussing the history of pardons and innocence in the Anglo-American legal system). For
instance, in 1833, Chief Justice John Marshall wrote that, “[a] pardon is an act of grace,
proceeding from the power intrusted with the execution of the laws, which exempts the
individual on whom it is bestowed, from the punishment the law inflicts for a crime he has
committed.” United States v. Wilson, 32 U.S. 150, 150 (1833). Twenty years later, the New
Jersey Supreme Court noted,
Pardon implies guilt. If there be no guilt, there is no ground for forgiveness. It is
an appeal to executive clemency. It is asked as a matter of favor to the guilty. It is
granted not of right but of grace. A party is acquitted on the ground of innocence;
he is pardoned through favor. And upon this very ground it is that the pardoning
power is never vested in a judge.
Cook v. Freeholders of Middlesex, 26 N.J.L. 326, 331–32 (N.J. 1857). This venerable principle
remains true in the twenty-first century. See Schaffer, 240 F.3d at 38 (“[A]cceptance of a pardon
may imply a confession of guilt.”); Noonan, 906 F. 2d at 960 (“Poena tolli potest, culpa perennis
erit (The punishment can be removed, but the crime remains).” (citing Black’s Law Dictionary
1040 (5th ed. 1979)).


PDF from judge linked here.
 
  • Useful
Reactions: Hank77
Upvote 0

Pommer

CoPacEtiC SkEpTic
Sep 13, 2008
16,346
10,240
Earth
✟137,598.00
Country
United States
Faith
Deist
Marital Status
In Relationship
Politics
US-Democrat
The charges for Bannon have been formally dismissed.

In her decision Tuesday, the judge pointed to past judicial discussions on pardons and what they imply about individuals who receive one. She quoted from a New Jersey court that, in 1833, found that “pardon implies guilt.”

Trump pardoned Bannon in late January as one of his last acts as president.

Bannon’s three co-defendants were not issued pardons and are preparing to stand trial in federal court. All have denied wrongdoing. Separately, New York state investigators opened a case after Trump’s pardon.
Bannon can be compelled to testify against the other defendants.
 
Upvote 0

essentialsaltes

Stranger in a Strange Land
Oct 17, 2011
32,828
36,129
Los Angeles Area
✟820,797.00
Country
United States
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Legal Union (Other)
A new charge for Kolfage.

A federal grand jury in Pensacola indicted Brian Kolfage on Tuesday on a charge of filing a false tax return. He was previously charged with a separate count of filing a false tax return and a count of wire fraud related to the electronic filing of his tax return.

The new charge is related to Kolfage filing a false amended tax return in December 2020, investigators said.
 
Upvote 0

essentialsaltes

Stranger in a Strange Land
Oct 17, 2011
32,828
36,129
Los Angeles Area
✟820,797.00
Country
United States
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Legal Union (Other)
A new charge for Kolfage.
He was previously charged with a separate count of filing a false tax return and a count of wire fraud related to the electronic filing of his tax return.

Two co-defendants in the "Build the Wall" fraud case involving ex-Trump strategist Steve Bannon have agreed to plea deals ahead of their scheduled trial, according to court documents.

Brian Kolfage and Timothy Shea have "reached agreements in principle with the Government to enter pleas of guilty to certain charges in this case," the court documents filed on Friday state.

Kolfage, Shea, and Andrew Badolato face federal money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy charges for their alleged involvement in a scheme to steer money away from a nonprofit to fund Trump's border wall and toward them and Bannon, according to the August 2020 indictment out of New York federal court.

While the group did help fund small sections of the border wall, some of which are facing scrutiny for not complying with federal regulations and potentially being structurally unsound, they also spent more than $350,000 on things like travel, credit card debt, and hotels, according to the indictment.

When they later learned that there was an investigation into their alleged fraud, the men took additional steps to conceal their crimes, according to the indictment. They began using encrypted messaging, and removed all language from their website that said they wouldn't be taking a salary.

Badolato is still going to trial. Bannon was pardoned.
 
Upvote 0

essentialsaltes

Stranger in a Strange Land
Oct 17, 2011
32,828
36,129
Los Angeles Area
✟820,797.00
Country
United States
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Legal Union (Other)
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

essentialsaltes

Stranger in a Strange Land
Oct 17, 2011
32,828
36,129
Los Angeles Area
✟820,797.00
Country
United States
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Legal Union (Other)
Two co-defendants in the "Build the Wall" fraud case involving ex-Trump strategist Steve Bannon have agreed to plea deals ahead of their scheduled trial, according to court documents.
Brian Kolfage and Timothy Shea have "reached agreements in principle with the Government to enter pleas of guilty to certain charges in this case," the court documents filed on Friday state.

I guess Shea went to trial after all. A mistrial was declared.

Turmoil during jury deliberations was revealed last week when 11 jurors sent a note to the judge to say one juror who complained about a “government witch hunt” had exhibited “political bias,” labeled the rest of them as liberals and complained that the trial should have occurred in a southern state.
 
  • Informative
Reactions: Zoii
Upvote 0

Arcangl86

Newbie
Dec 29, 2013
11,076
7,405
✟343,217.00
Faith
Anglican
Marital Status
Single
Politics
US-Green
I guess Shea went to trial after all. A mistrial was declared.

Turmoil during jury deliberations was revealed last week when 11 jurors sent a note to the judge to say one juror who complained about a “government witch hunt” had exhibited “political bias,” labeled the rest of them as liberals and complained that the trial should have occurred in a southern state.
I'm not surprised sadly.
 
Upvote 0

essentialsaltes

Stranger in a Strange Land
Oct 17, 2011
32,828
36,129
Los Angeles Area
✟820,797.00
Country
United States
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Legal Union (Other)
The charges for Bannon have been formally dismissed.

Separately, New York state investigators opened a case after Trump’s pardon.

Steve Bannon faces state indictment in N.Y., will surrender Thursday

The precise details of the state case could not be confirmed Tuesday evening. But people familiar with the situation, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sealed indictment, suggested the prosecution will likely mirror aspects of the federal case in which Bannon was pardoned.

In that indictment, prosecutors alleged that Bannon and several others defrauded contributors to a private, $25 million fundraising effort, called “We Build the Wall,” taking funds that donors were told would support construction of a barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border.

 
Upvote 0

essentialsaltes

Stranger in a Strange Land
Oct 17, 2011
32,828
36,129
Los Angeles Area
✟820,797.00
Country
United States
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Legal Union (Other)
I guess Shea went to trial after all. A mistrial was declared.
Turmoil during jury deliberations was revealed last week when 11 jurors sent a note to the judge to say one juror who complained about a “government witch hunt” had exhibited “political bias,” labeled the rest of them as liberals and complained that the trial should have occurred in a southern state.

Second 'We Build The Wall' fraud trial ends in conviction

A Colorado businessman [Shea] was convicted Friday of charges that he and others siphoned hundreds of thousands of dollars from an online fundraiser to build a wall along the U.S. southern border despite a promise to donors that every cent would go toward building the wall.
 
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

essentialsaltes

Stranger in a Strange Land
Oct 17, 2011
32,828
36,129
Los Angeles Area
✟820,797.00
Country
United States
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Legal Union (Other)
Second 'We Build The Wall' fraud trial ends in conviction

A Colorado businessman [Shea] was convicted Friday of charges that he and others siphoned hundreds of thousands of dollars from an online fundraiser to build a wall along the U.S. southern border despite a promise to donors that every cent would go toward building the wall.

And now the sentencing.

Colorado businessman sentenced to over 5 years in prison for “We Build The Wall” fundraiser fraud

Timothy Shea of Castle Rock also was ordered to forfeit $1.8 million and to pay restitution of an equal amount
 
Upvote 0