Ex-fundraiser for George Santos pleads responsible to posing as congressional aide to lift marketing campaign money
A former fundraiser for U.S. Rep. George Santos pleaded responsible Tuesday to a federal wire fraud cost, admitting he impersonated a high-ranking congressional aide whereas elevating marketing campaign money for the embattled New York Republican.
Sam Miele was caught soliciting donations in late 2021 underneath the alias Dan Meyer, who was then chief of workers for Rep. Kevin McCarthy, when the previous House speaker was the Republican minority chief, in keeping with Santos. Federal authorities nonetheless haven’t confirmed that Meyer was the aide who Miele impersonated.
Miele, who had been indicted on 4 wire fraud expenses and one rely of aggravated identification theft, is scheduled to be sentenced April 30. He faces greater than two years in jail, in keeping with estimated sentencing pointers, a spokesperson for the U.S. legal professional’s workplace stated.
He additionally acknowledged he dedicated entry gadget fraud involving bank cards that resulted in losses totaling about $100,000, John Marzulli, the spokesperson, stated.
Miele’s lawyer, Kevin Marino, didn’t instantly return a telephone message Tuesday. Marino beforehand stated Miele appeared ahead “to being exonerated at trial.”
Miele is the second marketing campaign aide to Santos who took a plea deal in a federal probe. Last month, the ex-treasurer for Santos, Nancy Marks, pleaded responsible to a fraud conspiracy cost and implicated Santos in a scheme to decorate his marketing campaign finance studies with a pretend mortgage and faux donors.
Santos himself is dealing with a 23-count federal indictment that alleges he stole the identities of marketing campaign donors after which used their bank cards to make tens of 1000’s of {dollars} in unauthorized expenses. Federal prosecutors say Santos wired a number of the cash to his private checking account and used the remainder to pad his marketing campaign coffers.
Santos, who represents components of Queens and Long Island, can be accused of falsely reporting to the Federal Elections Commission that he had loaned his marketing campaign $500,000 when he truly hadn’t given something and had lower than $8,000 within the financial institution. The pretend mortgage was an try and persuade Republican Party officers that he was a critical candidate, value their monetary help, the indictment says.
Santos has pleaded not responsible to the costs towards him.
Earlier this month, Santos survived a vote to expel him from the House. Most Republicans and 31 Democrats opposed the measure whereas each his felony case and a House Ethics Committee investigation proceed.
In an interview with The Associated Press in August, Santos stated he promptly fired Miele in late 2021 after being knowledgeable that Miele had impersonated Meyer.
Santos additionally recounted what he believed was an try by Miele final summer time to attempt to rejoin Santos‘ campaign. Santos said his campaign received a lunch invitation from a purported deep-pocketed donor named Reyem Nad – which is Dan Meyer spelled backward.
“It’s like he’s obsessive and compulsive on that title,” Santos stated. “You and I, if we got caught doing something stupid like that, the last thing we’d do is go anywhere near that name.”
Santos, who gained notoriety for fabricating main components of his life story throughout his run for workplace, stated he found Miele had despatched the invitation. Santos didn’t go to the lunch however despatched Marks, who informed Miele he was not getting his job again, in keeping with a Santos spokesperson.
Prosecutors stated Miele’s impersonation included establishing a dummy e-mail deal with resembling Meyer’s title as he reached out to greater than a dozen donors between August and December of 2021.
