A decorated US Air Force veteran accused of defrauding donors in a fundraising campaign to help former US president Donald Trump build a wall along the US-Mexico border has agreed to plead guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and three tax charges.
The US Department of Justice revealed their plea agreement with Brian Kolfage, who led the "We Build the Wall" campaign, in a filing on Wednesday with the US District Court in Manhattan.
Mr Kolfage is expected to formally enter his plea on April 21st before US District Judge Analisa Torres. His lawyer did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The government had in August 2020 charged MR Kolfage, former Trump adviser Steve Bannon and two other defendants over We Build the Wall.
Mr Kolfage, of Miramar Beach, Florida, created the private campaign in December 2018, 14 years after losing his legs and his right hand in a rocket attack in Iraq. He became steeped in conservative politics after returning from that country.
Prosecutors said Mr Kolfage told prospective donors he would "not take a penny" as he raised more than $25 million, yet took more than $350,000 and spent money on a boat, a luxury SUV, a golf cart, jewellery and cosmetic surgery, among other expenses.
The wire fraud conspiracy charge carries a maximum 20-year prison term. The tax charges, originally filed in Florida, include filing false tax returns and wire fraud.
A separate money laundering conspiracy charge is not part of Mr Kolfage's plea agreement, according to Wednesday's letter.
Torres dismissed the indictment against Mr Bannon last May, after Mr Bannon received a presidential pardon in the final hours of Mr Trump's presidency.
Mr Kolfage's co-defendant Andrew Badolato is also expected to enter a guilty plea on April 21st, court records show.
The final defendant, Timothy Shea, had agreed in principle to also plead guilty but changed his mind, prosecutors said last week.
"Mr Shea is exercising his constitutional right to a fair trial," his lawyer John Meringolo said in an email on Wednesday.
