Former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon has been arrested on charges that he and three others ripped off donors to an online fundraising scheme called We Build The Wall.
The charges were contained in an indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court.
Federal prosecutors alleged that Mr Bannon and three others “orchestrated a scheme to defraud hundreds of thousands of donors” in connection with an online crowdfunding campaign that raised more than 25 million dollars (£19 million) to build a wall along the southern border of the United States.
The donors thought the money would go towards helping to build a border wall, prosecutors said.
However, Mr Kolfage, whom they described as the public face and founder of the operation, received thousands of dollars that he used to fund a lavish lifestyle.
Mr Kolfage is due to appear in federal court later on Thursday in Florida, while Mr Bannon is set to appear in federal court in Manhattan.
The other two defendants are due to appear in courts in the Middle District of Florida and Colorado.
Mr Bannon led the conservative Breitbart News before being tapped to serve as chief executive officer of Trump's campaign in its critical final months.
After the election, he served as chief strategist during the turbulent early months of Mr Trump's administration.
Mr Bannon, who served in the Navy and worked as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs before becoming a Hollywood producer, has been hosting a pro-Trump podcast called "War Room" that began during the president's impeachment proceedings and has continued during the pandemic.
