Who Is Brian Kolfage? Details About The 'Build The Wall' Scammer Who Swindled $350K From Donors
Yikes.
Fox News / YouTube Brian Kolfage, along with former Trump advisor Steve Bannon, Andrew Badolato, and Timothy Shea were charged for defrauding donors for their We Build The Wall fundraiser scam, which raised over $25 million. The online fundraising campaign was supposed to build private sections of the wall promised by President Donald Trump on the United States-Mexico border.
While Steve Bannon is a name that you’ve probably heard before, the others involved — like Brian Kolfage, the man who swindled $350,000 from donors — aren’t as high-profile.
Who is Brian Kolfage?
Brian Kolfage is an Iraq war veteran and a Purple Heart recipient. He was born in Detroit, Michigan on September 21, 1982, which makes him a Virgo.
He’s appeared on Fox News countless times, and one scroll through his Instagram page will show you that he’s very into right-wing memes, conspiracy theories, and hanging out on the boat that he allegedly bought with the money he stole from the We Build the Wall donors.
On August 21, Kolfage went on a politically fueled rant on his Facebook page, writing, “Looks like I struck a nerve with the SDNY [Southern District of New York]. They hate Trump, they hate the wall, they want to do anything to destroy our credibility in the media. I’ve never been shy with attacking them."
"Its the EXACT attorneys at the SDNY who are now attacking me, is this abuse of power to go after political opponents?" he added. "Is this where our country is at now?? has the legal system been fully weaponized?”
All together now: oof.
How long was Brian Kolfage in the military?
Brian Kolfage served in the United States Air Force for a couple years. He was deployed to Kuwait in 2003, then returned to Iraq in 2004 for his second tour.
On September 11, 2004, he was badly injured in a surprise attack.
“After working a night shift at Balad Air Base in Iraq, he awoke in the afternoon, left his tent to get some water, and walked about 25 feet when the airbase came under a surprise rocket attack,” his website reads.
“In the chaos, a 107mm rocket shell exploded about three feet from Brian,” his bio continues. “He was thrown several feet in the air and landed against a wall of sandbags. Still conscious after the blast, he began calling for help.”
One of Brian’s friends found him “clinging to life,” and called a medic, who rushed over and saved his life.
Brian lost both of his legs in the attack, as well as his right arm.
Who is Brian Kolfage’s wife?
Brian Kolfage’s wife is Ashley Kolfage. Brian and Ashley reportedly met while she was working at Chili’s and got married in 2011. They currently reside.in Sandestin, Florida, and according to her Instagram account, Ashley is a Bang Energy Select Model who is “living the beach life.”
She also refers to herself as a brand influencer and model, is very into fitness and working out, and posts a lot of bikini photos on her Instagram page. She has her own website, but it's currently down amid the news of her husband’s fraud charges.
Ashley Kolfage is also very active on TikTok. The mother of two has almost 350,000 followers on TikTok, and regularly posts videos of herself dancing and hanging out with her kids.
Who are Brian Kolfage’s kids?
Brian Kolfage and Ashley Kolfage have two children together — a boy and a girl. Ashley spends a ton of time with her kids, and her Instagram and TikTok accounts regularly show the trio enjoying each other’s company.
Olivia Jakiel is an editor and writer who covers celebrity and entertainment news. Follow her on Instagram and keep up with her zingers on Twitter.