In a federal indictment that was unsealed on Wednesday, a former employee of Republican New York Rep. George Santos was reportedly charged with wire fraud and identity theft.
Santos’ former staff assistant Samuel Miele was charged with impersonating a member of Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy’s office in order to improperly solicit money for Santos’ congressional candidacy in 2022.
Miele entered a not guilty plea to four charges of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft before being charged in a New York federal court and freed on a $150,000 bail.
Rep. George Santos (R-NY) calls his arrest on a 13-count federal indictment a "witch hunt."
The crowd then boos when he attempts to pivot to the Biden family’s international business dealings. pic.twitter.com/xFtVQh5lHd
— The Recount (@therecount) May 10, 2023
Miele impersonated McCarthy’s chief of staff to solicit campaign funds, according to earlier this year’s journalistic investigations, despite the indictment not naming Santos or specifying which House member Miele was imitating.
In a second wire fraud case, George Santos is being prosecuted by the same prosecutors who brought the case against Miele.
Santos was charged with 13 charges of wire fraud, money laundering, and making false statements to the House of Representatives when he was detained and later freed on a $500,000 bail.
He is scheduled to return to court on September 7th.
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