By Kara Scannell

New York (CNN) — Conservative firebrand Steve Bannon pleaded guilty to defrauding donors in a fundraising effort to build a wall along the southern US border in a deal that allowed him to avoid prison.

Bannon pleaded guilty to one state felony count of a scheme to defraud in the first degree and was sentenced to a three-year conditional discharge. He will not serve any time in prison, nor will he be required to pay any restitution under the deal.

Prosecutor Jeffrey Levinson said there is no restitution because Bannon’s co-defendants in a related federal case already returned millions of dollars to victims.

Bannon spoke briefly in court answering the judge’s questions.

“Yes, your honor,” he said when asked if he engaged in the scheme to which he was pleading guilty.

Prosecutors fought to stop recent efforts to delay the trial, which was scheduled to start on March 4. It also marks a second criminal conviction for Bannon, who was found guilty of contempt of Congress, a misdemeanor. He served four months in federal prison and was released in November.

Bannon, a former chief strategist to President Donald Trump, was indicted in 2022 on state charges of money laundering, conspiracy and fraud related to an online fundraising scheme called “We Build the Wall” that solicited donations on the premise of building a wall along the US-Mexico border. Prosecutors say Bannon and others raised over $15 million by falsely claiming that none of the money would be used to pay the salary of one of the founders.

After the hearing, Bannon used the moment to call for Attorney General Pam Bondi to launch criminal investigations into the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and New York Attorney General Letitia James, both Democrats, “for what they did to President Trump.”

“The existential threat to his administration is the queen of lawfare Letitia James,” Bannon said.

Bannon was first indicted on federal charges in 2020 along with others involved in the fundraising effort. Trump pardoned Bannon before leaving office in 2021 and the Manhattan district attorney’s office, launched its own investigation.

“This resolution achieves our primary goal: to protect New York’s charities and New Yorkers’ charitable giving from fraud,” Bragg said afterwards. “New York has an important interest in rooting out fraud in our markets, our corporations, and our charities, and we will continue to do just that.”

Second conviction for Bannon

A guilty plea marks Bannon’s second criminal conviction. He was found guilty of contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena related to an investigation into the events of January 6. Bannon served four months in federal prison.

Last month, Bannon brought on a new lawyer, Arthur Aidala, a New York criminal defense attorney who also represents Harvey Weinstein.

Bannon told the judge at the hearing that he retained Aidala to take a more aggressive stance at the trial.

“I’ve been smeared by a political prosecution, persecution for years. In going to trial, I need to be more aggressive. We’ll use every tool in the toolbox to fight this,” Bannon said at the time.

As part of his three-year conditional discharge, Bannon is banned from serving as an officer or director of any charitable organizations or nonprofits with assets in New York or access “We Build the Wall” donor names.

This story has been updated with additional details.

Correction: This story has been updated to clarify that Bannon’s contempt of Congress conviction was a misdemeanor.

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