An aide to Rep. George Santos (R-NY) pleaded guilty Tuesday to a federal charge of fraud linked to a scheme that included impersonating a top aid for then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to potential campaign donors.
Samuel Miele was charged in August with four counts of wire fraud and one count of identity theft.
In federal court in Long Island Tuesday, he entered a guilty plea to fraud related to the illegal collection of a donation to Santos’ campaign in August 2021 ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.
Miele had claimed he was seeking the contribution on the behalf of McCarthy’s then-chief of staff, Dan Meyer, according to the federal indictment. Prosecutors said Miele approached more than a dozen potential donors, and he earned a commission on donations he brought in.
As part of the plea deal, Miele agreed to pay roughly $650,000 in restitution and forfeiture.
Miele’s guilty plea came about two weeks after Santos himself survived an attempt by his fellow New York Republicans in the House to have him expelled.
But Santos’ troubles are far from over. He is facing a September 9, 2024 trial date for 23 separate felony counts, including wire fraud, identity theft, credit card theft, money laundering and falsely reporting to the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) that he had loaned his campaign $500,000; in fact, he hadn’t given anything while maintaining less than $8,000 in the bank.
Santos has pleaded not guilty to all counts.
On October 31, House Ethics Committee leaders said that they plan to announce their “next course of action” in their investigation by November 17—this Friday.
The committee launched an investigation into alleged misconduct by Santos back in March.
A special legislative subcommittee has been looking into “whether Representative George Santos may have: engaged in unlawful activity with respect to his 2022 congressional campaign; failed to properly disclose required information on statements filed with the House; violated federal conflict of interest laws in connection with his role in a firm providing fiduciary services; and/or engaged in sexual misconduct towards an individual seeking employment in his congressional office.”
Santos filed for reelection in 2024 on March 14.
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