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Jury deliberates verdict in 'We Build The Wall' fraud trial

A U.S. government-built section of border wall snakes through the Sonoran Desert just west of the San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge, separating Mexico, left, and the United States, Dec. 9, 2020, in Douglas, Ariz.
Matt York
/
AP Photo
A U.S. government-built section of border wall snakes through the Sonoran Desert just west of the San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge, separating Mexico, left, and the United States, Dec. 9, 2020, in Douglas, Ariz.

A prosecutor told jurors in closing arguments at a criminal trial that there is overwhelming evidence that organizers of a “We Build The Wall” campaign to raise money for a wall along the U.S. southern border defrauded investors.

Prosecutor Robert Sobelman urged Manhattan federal court jurors Tuesday to deliver guilty verdicts against the lone defendant: Timothy Shea.

Jurors deliberated briefly and will resume their work Wednesday.

Former presidential adviser Steve Bannon was once a defendant, but ex-President Donald Trump pardoned him.

Two others have pleaded guilty. Shea's lawyer, John Meringolo, insisted in his closing that reasonable doubt should lead jurors to acquit Shea.