Former White House strategist Steve Bannon vowed to fight a New York state case accusing him of defrauding thousands of contributors to a privately funded U.S.-Mexico border wall of more than $15 million.
Bannon pleaded not guilty Thursday to money-laundering, fraud and conspiracy charges after walking into a Lower Manhattan courtroom in handcuffs. He was released on his own recognizance after turning over his passport.
The charges relate to Bannon’s involvement in We Build the Wall, a group that privately funded about five miles (eight kilometers) of border fencing in two locations in Texas and New Mexico. Bannon was charged in August 2020 in a similar case by federal prosecutors, but he was pardoned by Donald Trump on his last day in president.