An individual who organized a fundraising campaign for Rep. George Santos (R-NY), who is currently facing indictment, has himself been charged with four federal felony counts.

These charges stem from emails and phone calls where he allegedly pretended to be a senior aide to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).

Samuel Miele, who served on Santos’ team during the 2020 and 2022 election cycles, now faces four wire fraud charges and one count of aggravated identity theft, as outlined in an indictment revealed on Wednesday.

According to the indictment, Miele assumed the identity of Dan Meyer, Chief of Staff for McCarthy, while interacting with over a dozen potential donors in the latter part of 2021, the Daily Beast reported.

He allegedly did this deceptively and without proper authorization, all in an effort to raise funds for Santos’ campaign—along with a 15 percent share for himself.

Miele made phone calls impersonating Meyer and sent emails from an account established under Meyer’s name.

Subsequently, the funds were directed into Santos’ campaign fund, and Miele received his portion, according to the indictment.

Prosecutors claim that Miele admitted to the fraudulent scheme in a letter to Santos in September of the prior year, confessing to “misrepresenting my identity to a significant donor.”

Miele acknowledged that his actions carried significant risks, but also the potential for substantial rewards.

The charges against Miele were officially lodged in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, where Santos is also facing trial.

Despite widespread calls for Santos’ resignation, McCarthy has steadfastly defended the freshman congressman’s right to retain his legislative position until the resolution of his case.

Written by staff