Crime – Page 4 – Deep Left Field

When Donald Trump handed him a presidential pardon in the final days of the Trump administration, Steve Bannon probably thought he was in the clear legally and could stop worrying about being sent to prison.

But Bannon was very wrong.

The Washington Post reports that federal prosecutors are refusing to erase his indictment for fraud:

“The U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan, which is preparing for trial against three of Bannon’s co-defendants in an alleged border wall fundraising scam, is seeking an ‘administrative’ termination of Bannon’s case, which would halt the prosecution against him for good but would not clear his name from the docket. The case would officially remain pending while the others, who were not pardoned by Trump before he left office in January, await trial.”

That’s not the only legal jeopardy Bannon finds himself in, as Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. is also considering whether or not he’ll seek an indictment against the former White House aide for his scheme to embezzle money from his failed “Build the Wall” scheme which turned out to be nothing but a con job:

“Following Bannon’s pardon, which covers only federal charges, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office began its own investigation of the alleged scam, raising the possibility that Bannon could face state fraud charges. If his case remains open in federal court, it is not expected to affect the ability of state prosecutors to file charges.”

Could Bannon be facing charges in both federal and state court? He most certainly could, and since he and his attorneys are likely to litigate the federal case against him in light of his pardon from Trump, the chances increase that if he’s found guilty, Bannon could be serving his time at Attica or Sing Sing, two of the most infamous prisons in the country.

Bannon probably thought being connected to and working for Donald Trump would bring him fame and fortune. Instead, it has resulted in him facing the prospect of spending a large portion of what remains of his life incarcerated.

You probably recall that in the last days of his failed one-term administration, Donald Trump handed out pardons and commutations left and right. There were 74 pardons and 70 commutations, to be exact.

One of those legal gifts was bestowed upon Roger Stone, who has bee a close friend and confidant of Trump’s for decades. Stone was handed a get out of jail free card on a raft of charges:

“Specifically, the pardon is solely for the crimes of conviction — eight in the Eastern District of Virginia and two in the District of Columbia.”

However, Stone is a notorious scofflaw, a man who thinks the rules don’t apply to him because he has friends in high places who can wash away his many sins with the sweep of a pen. And it just so happens that Roger is once again facing charges in at least two cases.

First is Stone’s connection to the Oath Keepers, a bunch of domestic terrorists who served as a security detail for Stone during the days leading up to the Jan.6 storming of the U.S. Capitol which led to the deaths of five people, including a member of the Capitol Police Force.

Two of the Oath Keepers have just been added to an existing indictment, and that makes Stone a possible co-conspirator.

The Hill reports that the two men who were indicted this week are facing serious charges:

“The Justice Department announced on Thursday that Joshua James of Alabama and Roberto Minuta of Texas were charged by superseding indictment with conspiracy, obstruction of an official proceeding and entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds.
“The men each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison if convicted.
“The conspiracy case against the Oath Keepers was first filed in January and now has 12 defendants.”

Since the DOJ is continuing to add people to the indictments already handed down, don’t be surprised if Stone is added, too, in the weeks ahead. As it stands now, it certainly looks like the Justice Department is indeed considering anyone who had contact with the Oath Keepers or their role in the Capitol insurrection to be part of a larger conspiracy. And that could result in Stone being a criminal defendant and also facing 20 years in federal prison.

There’s also Stone’s bizarre connection the unfolding saga taking place around Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who is under investigation by the DOJ for sexually trafficking a 17-year-old girl, along with several other crimes related to his relationship to the underage girl. Reportedly, a close friend of Gaetz’s is currently telling everything he knows about the matter to federal investigators.

Stone decided to insert himself into the Gaetz fiasco by telling unhinged conspiracy theorist Alex Jones that the congressman needs to go on the offensive:

“All of these stories that are maligning Matt Gaetz today are based on leaks. Where is the beef? Where are the facts? I don’t think there are any facts. I think this is a good old-fashioned smear.”

Stone has now managed to get himself into another conspiracy by offering advice to Gaetz, and he could be facing serious questions about what all he knows regarding the trafficking of the young girl Gaetz is alleged to have taken across state lines for the purposes of sex.

But this time, Roger Stone won’t be getting any pardons. Instead, he will be left to twist in the wind and face the consequences of his actions.

Though it sometimes takes awhile, karma always manages to catch up with the douchebags who most deserve it.