Steve Bannon is expected to be indicted in New York over an alleged scheme to defraud Trump voters
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- Steve Bannon is expected to be indicted in New York on Thursday, reports say.
- The charges relate to an alleged a scheme that defrauded Trump voters.
- Former President Trump pardoned Bannon on similar federal charges in 2021.
Prosecutors in New York plan to indict Steve Bannon, Donald Trump's former chief strategist, over an alleged scheme to defraud Trump voters, according to reports.
The Washington Post first reported that the Bannon is expected surrender himself on Thursday to be indicted over his role in the "We Build the Wall" organisation.
The charges will mirror those filed by federal prosecutors against Bannon and three others back in 2020, for which Bannon received a pardon from Trump, the Post reported.
At the time, the prosecutors alleged that Bannon conned donors in giving millions to help build part of the US-Mexican border wall that was the chief pledge of Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, and the money instead ended up in the pockets of organizers.
Presidential pardons only apply to federal crimes, meaning that state prosecutors are free to pursue their own investigations into the same crimes and file separate charges.
Insider has contacted the Manhattan district attorney's office for comment.
Bannon has denied any wrongdoing in relation to the project.
He told NBC News the Manhattan district attorney "has now decided to pursue phony charges against me 60 days before the midterm election", adding: "This is nothing more than a partisan political weaponization of the criminal justice system."
Separately, Bannon faces contempt of Congress charges over his refusal to cooperate with the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
Bannon was the chief strategist for Trump's 2016 campaign, and later served as an advisor to the president.
More recently, he has focussed on promoting far-right propaganda on his 'War Room' podcast.