On Tuesday, a former fundraiser for Representative George Santos from Long Island pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges. This marks the second instance of a former associate cooperating with authorities against the disgraced New York Republican.
At the age of 27, Samuel Miele admitted guilt to a single charge of wire fraud. This admission came during proceedings before US District Judge Joanna Seybert in Central Islip.
In August, Miele faced charges of aggravated identity theft and wire fraud. The allegations involved purportedly assuming the identity of a key aide to former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in communications with potential donors through calls and emails.
The former staff member, who is no longer associated with the role, collected contributions for Santos during both the 2020 and 2022 election cycles, posing as Dan Meyer, the chief of staff for McCarthy, who retired in June of this year. Miele is set to receive his sentence on April 30, and, according to federal sentencing guidelines, he could face a term ranging from 27 to 33 months.
In the preceding month, Nancy Marks, the former campaign treasurer for Santos, at the age of 58, admitted guilt to a singular charge of conspiracy to commit fraud. She acknowledged her involvement in the fabrication of financial reports with the lawmaker, falsely indicating that Santos had personally loaned $500,000 to his own campaign.
Having stepped down from Santos’ campaign in late January, Marks is confronting the possibility of a prison term of up to five years along with a potential restitution fine. According to sentencing guidelines, she might be looking at a maximum of four years of incarceration. Meanwhile, Santos, aged 35, entered a plea of not guilty to 10 additional charges related to campaign finance fraud during an arraignment on Long Island on October 27.
In May, Santos faced an initial set of twelve federal charges, encompassing allegations of false statements, money laundering, fraud, and theft. These accusations included the claim that he misappropriated $50,000 in campaign funds for the purchase of designer clothing and covering personal expenses.
According to federal prosecutors, Santos, embroiled in a series of scandals, is accused of fraudulently obtaining COVID unemployment benefits and providing false information to Congress on financial disclosure forms, where he asserted to be a millionaire. If found guilty, Santos could be subjected to a maximum prison term of 22 years. His upcoming court appearance is scheduled for December 12.
