A federal probe that led to the announcement Thursday of conspiracy charges against Stephen Bannon, a former top aide to President Donald Trump, and three other men has roots in Florida.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services opened an investigation in May 2019 into the 鈥淲e Build the Wall鈥� charity, after consumer complaints that were initially submitted to the office of Attorney General Ashley Moody.
Bannon and the other men, including Florida resident Brian Kolfage, the leader of the crowdfunded "We Build the Wall" effort, are accused of defrauding donors under the pretense that money would be used to help build a wall along the nation鈥檚 Southern border.
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said in a news release Thursday that her department鈥檚 Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement forwarded its investigation of the group to the FBI.
鈥淔rom the beginning, this investigation has been fully non-partisan, independent, and carried out with the professionalism it deserves,鈥� Fried said in a prepared statement. 鈥淎s our department considers further action, I thank the U.S. Department of Justice and federal and state partners for their efforts to protect Florida鈥檚 consumers from alleged fraud.鈥�
Among the complaints submitted to Moody鈥檚 office was one in January 2019 by Wendy S. Tien, then an assistant attorney general in Minnesota.
Tien wrote to Moody that We Build the Wall, Inc. 鈥渉olds itself out as a Florida non-profit corporation鈥� and that may be 鈥減otentially or intentionally misleading.鈥�
Bannon, Kolfage, Andrew Badolato and Timothy Shea have been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering, federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York announced Thursday.