A guy who was a paid project fundraising event forRep George Santos was prosecuted in New York on federal criminal charges associated with his presumably impersonating a leading assistant to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy as he obtained contributions for Santos.
The fundraising event, Samuel Miele, lastSept 26 presumably sent out a letter to Santos “in which he admitted to ‘faking my identity to a big donor,’ but stated that he was ‘high risk, high reward in everything I do,’ ” according to the indictment in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
Miele, who raised cash for Santos’ projects in 2020 and 2022, was charged with 4 counts of wire scams, and one count of exacerbated identity theft in the six-page indictment, which was unsealed Wednesday.
Miele is implicated of pretending to be McCarthy’s assistant with the objective not just of getting project funds for Santos from more than a lots possible factors, however likewise to enhance himself on commissions of 15% that he made on each contribution.
His arrest comes 3 months after the New York Republican Santos himself was criminally charged in the very same court by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn with scams, theft, cash laundering and making incorrect declarations.
Santos, who was very first chosen in 2022, represents a House district that covers parts of Queens in New York City, and Nassau County in LongIsland It is the most affluent congressional district in New York state, and among the most affluent in the country.
After his election, Santos was exposed as having actually lied consistently in claims he made about household, his education and work experience.
CNBC reported in January that Miele had actually made calls and sent out e-mails to potential donors while declaring to be Dan Meyer, McCarthy’s chief of personnel, throughout the 2020 and 2022 election cycles, when Miele was raising funds for Santos’ House projects those years.
The indictment states that in between August and December 2021, Miele “falsely and without authorization impersonated” an individual who was “a high-ranking aide to a member of the House with leadership responsibilities.” At the time, McCarthy was the House minority leader.
Miele impersonated that individual “for the purpose of soliciting contributions to the campaign and enriching himself through commissions earned,” the indictment states.
As part of the supposed fraud, Miele produced an e-mail account being the very first letter and complete surname of McCarthy’s assistant, and signed the e-mails with the assistant’s complete name and title.
Miele and his attorney Kevin Marino did not instantly react to an ask for discuss the indictment. John Marzulli, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, decreased to comment.
Miele was arraigned on the indictment and pleaded innocent. He was launched on $150,000 bail.
McCarthy, a California Republican, has actually protected Santos’ ideal to continue serving in the House even as he battles his own criminal charges.
In a tweet Wednesday reacting to a tweet of this short article,Rep Dan Goldman, a Democrat who represents a district covering lower Manhattan and part of Brooklyn, blasted McCarthy.
“According to a federal indictment, George Santos paid someone to impersonate Kevin McCarthy’s chief of staff to raise money, yet McCarthy continues to protect Santos,” Goldman composed.
“Pathetic and shameful.”
In a court filing Wednesday, district attorneys informed 2 judges in the Eastern District Court that the criminal cases versus Santos and Miele “may be presumptively related because the facts of each case arise out of overlapping events.”
Because the cases relate, district attorneys composed, “may be appropriate” to reassign them so that one judge is dealing with both which “may result in a significant savings of judicial resources and serve the interests of justice.”
– Additional reporting by CNBC’s Kevin Breuninger and Brian Schwartz
