Colorado businessman Timothy Shea has been sentenced to five years and three months in prison for his involvement in a fraudulent scheme that siphoned hundreds of thousands of dollars from an online fundraiser. The fundraiser, called "We Build The Wall," raised $25 million to build a wall along the U.S. southern border. Shea was convicted of charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and obstruction of justice. He was also ordered to forfeit $1.8 million and pay an equal amount in restitution.

Shea's sentencing took place in Manhattan federal court, presided over by Judge Analisa Torres. The trial, which concluded in October, saw Shea and three others, including former Trump advisor Steve Bannon, charged with defrauding donors and capitalizing on their belief in the effectiveness of a border wall. While Bannon was pardoned by former President Donald Trump in 2021, two others pleaded guilty and were sentenced to prison.

During the trial, donors testified, including a border agent's widow and a teacher. Torres highlighted the damage caused by Shea and his co-conspirators, stating that they not only cheated donors but also undermined faith in the country's political system. Shea expressed regret for his actions and pleaded for leniency, citing the need to support his wife and teenage children.

According to prosecutors, Shea personally pocketed $180,000 from the fundraiser, despite promises to donors that all funds would go toward building the wall. Shea, who owns an energy drink company named after Trump, was accused of abusing the trust of donors and attempting to obstruct the federal investigation into his crimes. The scheme began in late 2018 when donations started pouring in for the wall campaign.

Earlier this year, Shea's co-defendants, Brian Kolfage and Andrew Badolato, pleaded guilty and were sentenced to prison. Kolfage received four years and three months, while Badolato was sentenced to three years. The "We Build The Wall" campaign started on GoFundMe but faced difficulties in directly transferring the funds to the federal government. To circumvent this, Shea and his co-conspirators established a non-profit entity called "We Build the Wall, Inc."

Prosecutors argued that Shea and others made false promises to donors, claiming that 100% of the funds would be used for the wall project. However, Shea and Kolfage took significant amounts of money for personal use. Prosecutors characterized Shea's actions as driven by greed, while Shea's defense attorneys argued that he was unaware of a "secret agreement" and had been swept up in the allure of financial gain.

In addition to his prison sentence, Shea was ordered to pay $1,801,707 in restitution. The sentencing of Shea marks the final conviction in the "We Build The Wall" case, which exposed the fraudulent nature of the fundraiser and further eroded public trust in the political system.