(RoyalPatriot.com )- Website: DOJ In Damage Control After Steve Bannon’s Pardon Could Impact Tim Shea
Timothy Shea is accused of conspiring to deceive We Build the Wall contributors.
Prosecutors have asked that he should not inform a jury that former President Trump pardoned his ex-chief strategist Steve Bannon of similar charges. Prosecutors also aim to deny Mr.Shea’s lawyers from presenting his client and other backers as if they had been exploited.
Defendant Timothy Shea had previously negotiated an “in principle” deal that would have avoided a trial, but the deal fell apart with no explanations given. Of the four individuals charged, only Mr. Shea will stand trial in the coming weeks, the court expects We Build the Wall’s president Brian Kolfage, and Andrew Badolato to plead guilty. Former President Donald J. Trump had pardoned Steve Bannon in the last year of his term.
Prosecutors charged all the defendants with conspiring to deceive and defraud supporters of the crowdsourcing campaign to build a border wall between the United States and Mexico.
Prosecutors say Steve Bannon skimmed $1 million from the foundation, which promised that “every penny” of the $25 million raised would go toward building the wall. Mr. Kolfage is accused of using donor funds to allegedly purchase luxury items which include a boat, a Range Rover SUV, a golf cart, jewelry, and cosmetic surgery. They also claim Mr. Shea paid Kolfage a $20,000 monthly salary through an unidentified LLC that served as a shell company. Mr.Shea is said to have received hundreds of thousands of dollars in exchange. His case goes to trial this May.
Prosecutors presented U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres with an 11-page motion to prevent Mr. Shea from speaking of President Trump’s pardon of Steve Bannon. In her motion, Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison Moe felt that the Court should preclude any evidence or argument relating to the pardon, which could only be offered through impermissible jury nullification arguments. Prosecutors also will try to prevent Mr.Shea from blaming his victims.
Mr. Shea’s lawyer, John Meringolo, has submitted his motion to exclude evidence on his client’s behalf, but it makes no mention of Steve Bannon’s pardon. Instead, it seeks to suppress evidence of a threat Mr.Shea allegedly made to Andrew Badolato via a government witness. The evidence alleges Mr.Badolato was told to ‘watch his back’ because Mr.Shea’ knows people in a New York mafia crime family.’ But his lawyer Meringolo says the threat claim has no merit as the defendant has no relation to and no association with any mafia member.
Former President Trump has never provided reasons why he pardoned Mr. Bannon but not his alleged co-conspirators.
Take a look at Mr. Shea’s case document here.
