Steve Bannon

Steve Bannon has faced several legal controversies and criminal charges during his career. In August 2020, federal authorities charged Bannon with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and money laundering regarding the We Build the Wall fundraising campaign, which allegedly diverted donor funds for personal use. President Donald Trump pardoned him for these federal charges in January 2021. Bannon was subsequently charged in New York state court with money laundering, conspiracy, and fraud related to the same campaign. In February 2025, he pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree scheme to defraud and was sentenced to three years of conditional discharge. In 2022, Bannon was convicted of two counts of contempt of Congress for failing to comply with a subpoena from the House Select Committee investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. He served four months in federal prison in 2024. In April 2026, the Supreme Court vacated this judgment and remanded the case to the D.C. Circuit for consideration regarding a motion to dismiss the indictment. Additionally, Bannon was a vice president of Cambridge Analytica, a firm involved in a major data scandal concerning the unauthorized collection of Facebook user data.