A campaign fundraiser for Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) faces five federal charges today. A newly unsealed indictment alleges Samuel Miele impersonated Dan Meyer – House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s former chief of staff – in fundraising solicitations. According to the indictment, the impersonation occurred by email and telephone. Miele faces four counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
The indictment alleges that Miele admitted in writing to “faking my identity to a big donor” in a letter to Santos weeks before Santos won his race to serve in Congress. Miele added that he was committed to “high risk, high reward in everything I do.”
He was arraigned in federal court in Brooklyn Wednesday morning and released on a $150,000 bond.
The Hill reports:
A federal grand jury sitting in Brooklyn returned the indictment Tuesday, and court records show that it was unsealed Wednesday.
While the documents do not identify the impersonated aide’s name or the lawmaker they work for, a complaint filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) in February accused Miele of impersonating Dan Meyer, who previously served as chief of staff to Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).
In the indictment, the aide is described as a “high-ranking aide to a member of the House with leadership responsibilities.”
Prosecutors say Miele set up an email account with the first letter and full last name of the aide and proceeded to use the account to ask for donations from more than a dozen people in the second half of 2021. Miele was paid a 15 percent commission, according to court filings.
Miele worked for Santos’ during his 2020 and 2022 congressional campaigns. Prosecutors claim he fictitiously posed as McCarthy’s then-chief of staff during interactions with more than two dozen prospective GOP donors.
The entire indictment is available below:
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Damn RINO actions & RNC OKs this
It’s a good thing his last name wasn’t Biden. He might have been punished with a wrist-slap and threats of a spanking, had it been.