A former fundraiser for U. S. Rep. George Santos pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal fraud, admitting he posed as a high-ranking congressional aide while increasing the crusade’s budget for the embattled New York Republican.
Sam Miele remained soliciting donations in late 2021 under the pseudonym Dan Meyer, who was then a staff leader for Rep. Kevin McCarthy, when the former House speaker was Republican minority leader, according to Santos. The federal government has yet to verify that Meyer is the assistant who posed as Miele.
Miele, 27, charged with four counts of wire fraud and one count of nuisance identity theft, is expected to be sentenced on April 30. He faces more than two years in prison, based on estimated sentencing guidelines, a spokesperson for the U. S. Attorney said, the office says.
He also admitted to committing device fraud by charging credit cards authorized to send cash to the campaigns of Santos and other political candidates, and for non-public use, prosecutors said. The fraud amounted to about $100,000, they said.
“The defendant used fraud and deception to borrow more than $100,000 from his victims, funneling that money to the House candidates’ crusade committees and into his own pockets,” said Breon Peace, U. S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. report. ” Defrauding potential political participants undermines our democracy, and we will vigorously pursue such conduct. “
Miele’s attorney, Kevin Marino, said after the deposition that “Sam Miele is a wise young man with a long brilliant career who made an unfortunate mistake. He has taken full responsibility for his actions and is willing to put this episode behind him and recover. ” his life. “
Marino responded to other questions about the deposition, adding whether Miele would testify against Santos.
Miele also agreed to pay about $109,000 in restitution, forfeit another $69,000 and pay $470,000 to a crusade taxpayer, prosecutors said.
Miele is the moment Santos’ campaign aide accepts a plea deal in a federal investigation. Last month, Santos’ former treasurer, Nancy Marks, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud and implicated Santos in a scheme to embellish his campaign finance reports with a loan and donors.
Santos himself faces a 23-count federal indictment alleging he stole the identities of crusade donors and then used their credit cards to earn tens of thousands of dollars in unauthorized charges. Federal prosecutors say Santos transferred some of the cash to his bank account and used the rest to fill his crusade’s coffers.
Santos, who represents parts of Queens and Long Island, is also accused of falsely reporting to the Federal Election Commission that he lent $500,000 for his crusade when in fact he gave nothing and had less than $8,000 in the bank. The fake loan was intended to convince GOP officials that he is a serious candidate, deserving of their monetary support, the indictment says.
Santos has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and has pledged to disclose his name. Marks’ lawyer said Marks would be willing to testify against Santos, which could deal a major blow to the congressman. Miele would agree to testify against Santos.
Earlier this month, Santos survived a vote to expel him from the House. A majority of Republicans and 31 Democrats opposed the measure as his case and the House Ethics Committee’s investigation continue.
In an interview with The Associated Press in August, Santos said he temporarily fired Miele in late 2021 after being informed that Miele had impersonated Meyer.
Santos also recounted what he believed was an attempt through Miele last summer to try to sign up for Santos’ crusade. Santos said his crusade won an invitation to a luncheon from an alleged big-money donor named Reyem Nad, who is Dan Meyer spelled backwards.
“It’s like I’m obsessive and compulsive with that name,” Santos said. “You and I, if we were to do something as stupid as that, the last thing we’d do would be come close to that name. “
Santos, who gained notoriety for inventing giant portions of his life story during his election campaign, said he discovered Miele had sent the invitation. Santos didn’t stop by for lunch but sent Marks, who told Miele he wouldn’t get his homework back, according to a Santos spokesman.
Prosecutors said Miele’s impersonation included creating a fake email that resembled Meyer’s call when he contacted more than a dozen donors between August and December 2021.