Federal Judge Won’t Let Kris Kobach Get His Hands on ‘We Build the Wall’ Money – By Adam Klasfeld (Law and Crime) / Dec 14 2020
Hours after the Supreme Court refused to hear his appeal of a case that forced him to take court-mandated law classes, Kris Kobach suffered another defeat in New York on Monday, as a federal judge refused to let him move assets related to a charity that prosecutors allege was used to scam donors.
The order by U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres relates to the criminal charges against four officials of “We Build the Wall”: founder Brian Kolfage, ex-White House strategist Steve Bannon, Andrew Badolato, and Timothy Shea.
The foursome will return to court on Thursday, battling allegations that the duped donors by promising “100%” of the $25 million crowdfunded would build a barrier along the U.S. southern border. Bannon took at least $1 million from the charity, and Kolfage pocketed $350,000 and spent donors’ money on a Jupiter Marine yacht called the Warfighter, a Range Rover SUV, a golf cart, jewelry, cosmetic surgery, personal tax payments and his credit card debt, prosecutors say.
Kobach, who has not been charged, serves as We Build the Wall’s general counsel, and he claims that a pre-trial order blocking the transfer of its assets violated his due-process rights. Kobach attempted to challenge a restraining order that “intended to safeguard funds that will be subject to forfeiture following a conviction in this case.”
