Steve Bannon and Accomplices Long Capitalized Off Trump’s Rise to Power

NEW YORK, KOMPAS.com - Steve Bannon and the partners involved in the border wall fraud case have been known to cash in on President Donald Trump’s rise.

One of the partners is a triple-amputee Iraq war veteran who ran news sites publishing exaggerated stories that echoed right-wing rage.

Another one of Steve Bannon’s accomplice owns a company that markets Donald Trump-themed energy drinks.

A third person involved in the border wall fraud case is a former Breitbart columnist and an entrepreneur harboring experience in running failed businesses.

Read also: Steve Bannon Out on $5 Million Bail amid Arrest for Border Wall Fraud Case

Now, Steve Bannon and the three men are accused of skimming hundreds of thousands of dollars from a crowd-funded project to build a Mexico border wall.

Their mutual devotion to President Donald Trump and oft-checkered history of capitalizing off his political movement led to their partnership.

Prosecutors say their promises not to take even a penny from the more than $25 million in donations turned out to be lies, allowing them to make such purchases as a luxury Range Rover, a fishing boat, home renovations and cosmetic surgery.

Some court observers believe at least some of the participants believed they could get away with it because their man was in the White House.

“This cast of characters was using Bannon as a front to get the people behind them,” said David S. Weinstein, a former federal prosecutor in Miami.