We Build the Wall
Private, non-profit organization seeking to build sections of a Mexico–US border wall / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about We Build the Wall?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
We Build the Wall is an organization that solicited donations to build private sections of the wall along the Mexico–U.S. border. It started as a GoFundMe campaign by United States Air Force veteran Brian Kolfage in December 2018.[2] Kolfage announced the formation of a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization in January 2019.[3] By mid-2020, over $25 million had been raised[4][5] and a 3-mile (4.8 km) section of fence had been built.[6] The organization was involved in the construction of walls along the border in Sunland Park, New Mexico and Mission, Texas.
Founded | 2019 |
---|---|
Founder | Brian Kolfage |
Type | 501(c)(4) Nonprofit organization |
83-3040627 | |
Focus | Fundraise and build the Trump Wall |
Headquarters | Panama City Beach, Florida |
Key people |
|
Website | https://webuildthewall.us (defunct) |
[1] |
Its advisory board included politicians and activists with a hard-line stance on illegal immigration, including former secretary of state of Kansas Kris Kobach;[7] former congressman Tom Tancredo;[8] Blackwater USA founder Erik Prince; former Milwaukee sheriff David Clarke;[9] and former Trump chief strategist Steve Bannon,[5][10] who is chairman of the board.[11]
In August, 2020 Brian Kolfage, Steve Bannon, Andrew Badolato and Timothy Shea were charged with a scheme to divert over a million dollars from We Fund the Wall, of which at least $350,000 illegally went to Kolfage for personal use. The men faced federal felony charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.[12][5][13][14][15] Kolfage and Badolato pled guilty and were sentenced.[16] After Shea's first trial ended in a hung jury, he was convicted in October 2022 and received a 63 month sentence in July 2023.[17][18][16][19] Bannon was pardoned by then-President Trump but was indicted in September 2022 on state charges in New York.[20]