Thread by @ChrisA0213

STEVE BANNON UPDATE: Andy Badolato and Brian Kolfage pleaded guilty late Thursday afternoon in federal court for their roles in the "We Build the Wall'' scam. Bannon, originally a co-defendant, was pardoned by Trump. Badolato and Kolfage will be sentenced Sept. 6.

"I am terribly, terribly sorry for what I did,'' Badolato said to district judge Analisa Torres. "I humbly beg the court for mercy.'' Badolato is a resident of Sarasota County and has been a close associate of Bannon's for over 20 years.

Kolfage and Badolato pleaded guilty to conspiracy. Kolfage also pleaded guilty to tax offenses in Fla. "We Build the Wall,'' solicited millions from private donors strictly to build a border wall in El Paso. Badolato, Bannon and Kolfage kept some of the money for themselves.

Badolato's past includes: numerous lawsuits, substantial monetary judgments and sizeable Internal Revenue Service liens filed against him; business dealings with convicted felons for stock-related fraud; an extortion attempt after he borrowed money from a mobster ... that led to

him wearing a wire for the FBI; an association with a Costa Rican offshore firm that called a “money laundering hub” by the Justice Dept; and sexual assault allegations made by 3 women over a period of 4 years that allegedly took place inside his million-dollar home in Sarasota.

On August 19, 2015, the day Bannon took over Trump's campaign, Bannon registered to vote in Florida using Badolato's address. There is no evidence Bannon ever lived there.

Bannon and Badolato were so close that Badolato was in Trump Tower with Bannon on the night Trump was elected president. Bannon also helped Badolato's company secure a $400,000 contract with Cambridge Analytica, the now-bankrupt media targeting company founded by Bannon.

Bannon and Badolato were involved in penny stock scams and conservative movie ventures dating back to 2001. An associate of Badolato's once showed me an email where he claimed Badolato was recording Bannon several years ago ...

Another person involved in the "We Build the Wall'' scam was a former pro football player and Oklahoma attorney named L.B. Moon. Along with Bannon, Moon was on the board of one of Badolato's companies.

A former friend of Badolato's once showed me an email claiming Badolato used to tape his conversations with Bannon.

“Badolato records all of his phone calls with a Sony m-572-v micro tape player and has his office wired with a GSM micro room device with separate Sim card insertion for remote listening,'' the email said ...

"He has been recording Bannon and other associates/individuals/conservative groups etc. etc. for years without there (sic) knowledge,” the email continued.

Another person involved in the "We Build the Wall'' scam was a former pro football player and Oklahoma attorney named L.B. Moon. Along with Bannon, Moon was on the board of one of Badolato's companies.
Moon was once banned from practicing law by the Okla. Supreme Court, which ...

called him an “embarrassment to the legal profession” after finding “convincing evidence” that he falsely identified himself as an ATF agent, engaged in shooting firearms while intoxicated, attempted to extort money and assaulted a fellow lawyer. He then threatened to kill ...

the lawyer and have five men rape and kill his “pretty” daughter. Moon threatened to stick a pen through the attorney’s neck and put his body through a shredder.

In 2019, Fla. GOP Chair Joe Gruters visited the wall, and shot a video there. Gruters and Badolato went to Cardinal Mooney High in Sarasota. "Foreman Mike" Furey, point-person at the wall, also attended Mooney. Badolato was best man in Furey's wedding. heraldtribune.com/story/opinion/…

Everything you wanted to know about Steve Bannon's relationship with Andy Badolato, who pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to conspiracy for his part in the "We Build the Wall'' scam. Bannon was pardoned by Trump in same case. heraldtribune.com/story/news/loc…