What was Steve Bannon imprisoned for?

1. The charge that sent him to federal prison: contempt of Congress

Bannon was indicted and ultimately convicted on two counts of criminal contempt of Congress for refusing to appear and to produce documents in response to a subpoena issued by the House Select Committee probing the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol; the Department of Justice reported his sentence as four months in prison plus a $6,500 fine ^[1]. Multiple news outlets covering his surrender and release confirm the sequence: subpoena, indictment, conviction in 2022, surrender to a federal facility in July 2024, and release in October 2024 after serving roughly four months ^{[5] [2] [6]}.

2. Why the subpoena mattered: the Jan. 6 investigation context

The Select Committee issued the subpoena because it “had reason to believe that [Bannon] had information relevant to understanding events related to Jan. 6, 2021,” and it required him to appear and produce documents on a set date; prosecutors say he refused to comply with both aspects of that subpoena ^[1]. Reporting emphasizes the committee’s aim to reconstruct decision‑making and communications around the attack and to seek testimony from Trump advisers and allies; Bannon’s refusal made him part of a high‑profile enforcement test of congressional subpoenas ^[1].

3. How the courts and appeals featured in his case

After conviction, Bannon sought to delay reporting to prison while appealing; the Supreme Court declined emergency relief that would have postponed his sentence, and he began serving time when the courts ordered him to do so ^{[2] [5]}. His prison term was described in contemporary reporting as serving at FCI Danbury, a low‑security federal facility, with his legal team continuing to pursue appeals afterward ^{[4] [1] [5]}.

4. What Bannon and his supporters argued — the political framing

Bannon and allies framed his prosecution as political persecution: he publicly labeled himself a “political prisoner” and blamed Democratic leaders, a narrative reflected in his statements on release and in sympathetic coverage ^{[2] [6] [7]}. Outlets critical of that framing nonetheless documented his consistent refusal to comply with a congressional subpoena as the factual basis for the criminal contempt conviction ^{[1] [8]}.

5. Separate legal trouble: the border‑wall fundraising plea and conditional discharge

Beyond the federal contempt conviction, Bannon faced state charges in New York tied to a private fundraising campaign to build a U.S.–Mexico border wall. In February 2025 he pleaded guilty to one state felony count of first‑degree scheme to defraud and received a three‑year conditional discharge — a resolution that imposes restrictions (for example, on leading New York nonprofits) but avoided further jail time ^{[3] [4]}. Reporting notes some co‑defendants in the fundraising matter did receive prison sentences, while federal charges connected to the same scheme were interrupted by a presidential pardon in 2021 for Bannon ^[3].

6. How outlets differed in emphasis and tone

Mainstream news agencies (AP, Reuters, PBS) focused on the procedural facts — subpoena, conviction, sentence served, release — and reported Bannon’s political rhetoric alongside the legal record ^{[5] [6] [2]}. British outlets (BBC, The Guardian) highlighted both his conviction for contempt related to Jan. 6 and his later plea in the New York fraud case, framing the latter as avoiding jail under a plea deal ^{[3] [9] [7]}. Opinion and partisan outlets amplified Bannon’s “political prisoner” claim; mainstream sources documented that claim as his characterization rather than an established legal finding ^{[2] [6]}.

7. Limitations and what the available sources do not say

Available sources do not mention any other convictions that led to prison time beyond the contempt of Congress sentence and the New York conditional discharge ^{[1] [3]}. Sources do not provide exhaustive details about his ongoing appeals beyond emergency stay requests and subsequent filings; for example, later constitutional challenges or ultimate appellate outcomes beyond the immediate post‑sentence period are not fully covered in the provided material (p1_s1; ^[10] noted a later appeal request but is beyond most earlier coverage).

8. Bottom line for readers

The concrete reason Steve Bannon spent time behind bars was a federal criminal contempt conviction for refusing to comply with a Jan. 6 committee subpoena; that conviction produced a four‑month federal prison term and a modest fine ^{[1] [2]}. Subsequent state proceedings resolved with a guilty plea and a three‑year conditional discharge in 2025 related to a border‑wall fundraising scheme, which did not add prison time under that plea deal ^{[3] [4]}.