Controversial Rep. George Santos campaign fundraiser sued by Justice Department for allegedly impersonating Kevin McCarthy staffer
- Santos assistant Samuel Miele was charged with wire fraud and identity theft
- He allegedly posed as a staff member of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy
- Miele did this to raise money for Santos, who was prosecuted in May
An assistant to Rep. George Santos was charged Wednesday with allegedly posing as a staffer of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to raise money for the embattled Republican legislature.
According to the indictment unsealed Wednesday in New York’s Eastern District, Santos’ assistant, Samuel Miele, was charged with wire fraud and identity theft.
Miele appeared in court in Brooklyn and was released on $150,000 bail after pleading not guilty.
He is accused of sending “fraudulent fundraising” emails to potential donors posing as a “high-ranking aide” to a Republican in House leadership.
Miele received a 15 percent commission of the money raised, the suit said.
Santos himself was hit with federal criminal charges in May
CNBC reported that in January that wealthy Republican donors had received calls and emails from a man named Dan Meyer, who had served as McCarthy’s chief of staff during the 2020 and 2022 campaign cycles.
That person was actually Miele, CNBC said.
The Miele indictment, filed on Tuesday, does not name Santos – but the two men had already been linked in news reports.
Santos himself was hit with federal criminal charges in May.
Federal prosecutors filed criminal charges against the Long Island legislator, who has admitted to lying about his past and fabricating his resume.
Beneath a litany of lies, he has been accused of violating campaign finance laws, stealing money meant for an Iraq War veteran’s dying dog, and credit card fraud.
Santos pleaded not guilty in court to 13 counts of money laundering, wire fraud and making false statements during his campaign.
Prosecutors in New York’s Eastern District said Wednesday that the Santos and Miele cases should be considered “related.”
Democrats and some Republican colleagues have called for him to step down, but he has refused, instead announcing his reelection in 2024.
McCarthy said in May that he will “quickly” try to refer a Democrat-led resolution to expel the disgraced Santos to the ethics committee.
‘I would like to see the ethics committee work on this quickly. I think there’s enough information now that they can start looking into this,” the GOP leader said, in remarks that were a step up from previous times he refused to call for Santos to resign.
House Democrats introduced the resolution to oust Santos after he was indicted.