Steve Bannon
Michael Vadon, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Former Donald Trump aide Steve Bannon has pleaded not guilty in court to New York State charges of money laundering, conspiracy and fraud.

State Attorney General Letitia James said the charges are related to a year-long fundraising scheme in which she says Bannon and his company, We Build the Wall, Inc., defrauded thousands of donors across the country out of more than $15 million to line their own pockets, and then laundered the proceeds to further advance and conceal the fraud.

Bannon previously faced the same charges from federal prosecutors in 2020. He was later pardoned by Trump. Presidential pardons do not apply to state investigations, however.

In recent months, several people close to Bannon were brought before the state grand jury.

A federal jury in July found Bannon guilty of contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena from the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack. He is scheduled to be sentenced in October and faces a minimum sentence of 30 days in jail, according to federal law.