‘Build the Wall’ scammers mocked for guilty pleas: ‘Going to get to see if walls really work’
An election lie that became fraud resulted in two guilty pleas, the Department of Justice announced on Thursday.
Brian Kolfage and Andrew Badolato pleaded guilty for defrauding hundreds of thousands of donors with an online crowdfunding scheme with Steve Bannon known as "We Build the Wall."
The effort raised more than $25 million for the wall after Mexico refused to pay for it, as Trump constantly promised during his 2016 campaign for president.
The Department of Justice says the two men "orchestrated a scheme to defraud hundreds of thousands of donors."
"Kolfage, 39, and Badolato, 57, both residents of Florida, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. In the same proceeding, KOLFAGE also pled guilty to tax and wire fraud charges filed by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida," the department announced.
Bannon was also charged in the scheme, but was pardoned by Trump in one of his final acts in office.
The scheme was roundly mocked on Twitter. Here's some of what people were saying:
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