Rep. George Santos (R-Nassau/Queens) faced various allegations before even taking office, after reports surfaced that he lied on his resume and questions were raised about his campaign finances. See&nbsp;Newsday&#39;s coverage on Santos here.

Long Island

Politics

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Laura Figueroa Hernandez and Tom Brune

WASHINGTON — Indicted Rep. George Santos was expelled from Congress on Friday, in a historic vote that marked the end of his&nbsp;scandal-plagued 11&nbsp;months in office representing New York's 3rd Congressional District. 
Santos (R-Nassau/Queens) was stripped of his seat after a bipartisan two-thirds of U.S. House members approved his ouster. The vote came after&nbsp;release of a damning report, approved unanimously by the House Ethics Committee, that accused the first-term lawmaker of defrauding campaign donors for his&nbsp;personal profit. 
The vote was 311 &quot;Yes,&quot; 114 &quot;No&quot; and two &quot;Present.&quot; 
The buzzing chamber fell silent once the vote took place, with only a few&nbsp;Democrats applauding the result. As they left afterward, several lawmakers described the mood in the chamber as “somber.” 
Santos, who was seated at the back of the chamber as voting started, went to retrieve his jacket as the&nbsp;tally in favor of expulsion climbed. Once voting stopped&nbsp;he made his way down the center aisle, eventually leaving the&nbsp;chamber to be picked up by an aide in a black van parked outside. 
&quot;To hell with this place,&quot; Santos told reporters before departing. 
Santos is only the sixth member of Congress to be expelled — and the first to be removed without a criminal conviction. 
The first three lost their seats in 1861 over their support for the Confederate rebellion as the Civil War began.&nbsp;The House voted to expel Rep. Michael Myers (D-Pa.) in 1980 for his bribery conviction in the Abscam scandal — a sting operation in which FBI agents posed as Middle East oil dealers offering bribes — and Rep. James Traficant (D-Ohio) in 2002 for his conviction on federal charges such as&nbsp;bribery, corruption and&nbsp;tax evasion. 
<h2>Ethics report shifted votes</h2> 
The Nov. 16 release of the ethics report prompted dozens of lawmakers who previously had voted against Santos’ expulsion to change their minds.&nbsp;Many said&nbsp;the report’s findings provided ample reason to expel Santos after two failed attempts. 
The 55-page report, citing campaign bank records and interviews with former campaign aides, accused Santos of using campaign funds for personal&nbsp;expenses such as Botox treatments and hotel stays. 
Santos has called&nbsp;such purchases legitimate campaign expenses, but has refused to discuss other allegations that he fraudulently reported tens of thousands of dollars in campaign loans he never made, only to reimburse himself with actual campaign donations. 
<h2>House leaders oppose expulsion</h2> 
Before&nbsp;the vote Friday, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R- Schuylerville), the top-ranking New York Republican, all said they would vote against expelling Santos. 
The GOP leadership lining up against expulsion was not enough to move enough votes in Santos' favor —&nbsp;105 Republicans voted to remove Santos, and&nbsp;112 voted&nbsp;against it. Democrats provided the bulk of the votes for expulsion with 206&nbsp;voting for Santos' removal. Two Democrats voted against it, and two&nbsp;voted &quot;present.&quot; 
In an hourlong debate on Thursday, Santos had denounced the expulsion motion, saying it would break with precedent of&nbsp;past expulsions that came after members had been convicted in court. 
New York congressional leaders said Santos' ouster was long overdue, arguing that his fabrications about his life story, including assertions he was the descendant of Holocaust survivors, misled voters in his district. 
Rep. Anthony D'Esposito (R-Island Park), who on Tuesday introduced the motion that led to Santos' expulsion, said in an interview after the vote:&nbsp;&quot;It's a sad day.&quot; 
&quot;I wish that we never had to come to this,&quot; D'Esposito said. &quot;Santos should have held himself accountable and resigned. But he chose to go through this process. And it has been talked about that this&nbsp;set a new precedent. It was one that didn't have to be set.&quot; 
D'Esposito added, &quot;And now I look forward to allowing the entire 118th Congress to focus on what's important.&quot; 
Rep. Nick LaLota (R-Amityville) told Newsday:&nbsp;&quot;Eleven&nbsp;months in, we're finally able to hold one of our own accountable so that we can move forward on fixing the things that we came to Washington to fix.&quot; 
&quot;The House today did its constitutional duty,&quot; said Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport), an&nbsp;Ethics Committee member. 
&quot;I think there was a lot of allegations and a lot of evidence in that report, and I think a lot of members read it, which is why a lot of people supported the expulsion today that did not support it back in November,&quot; Garbarino told Newsday. 
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-Brooklyn) said the bipartisan vote represented &quot;an important step forward in ensuring that the House of Representatives has a basic standard of professionalism as we endeavor to solve problems on behalf of hardworking American taxpayers.&quot; 
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), in a short statement after the vote, said: “Long Island and Queens deserve better.” 
Santos' expulsion came nearly a year after The New York Times published a story unpacking numerous&nbsp;falsehoods&nbsp;Santos offered on the campaign trail, including degrees he never obtained and prestigious Wall Street jobs he never held. He later admitted fabricating key parts of his resume and entered office under intense scrutiny, with reporters following him throughout the U.S. Capitol, protesters demonstrating outside his office&nbsp;and multiple agencies such as&nbsp;the U.S. Department of Justice probing his campaign operation. 
On Friday, Capitol visitors took photos outside&nbsp;Santos' former office in the Longworth House Office Building. The nameplate outside&nbsp;his door was replaced with a sign reading, &quot;Office of the Third Congressional District of New York.&quot; 
Jody Kass Finkel of Great Neck, coordinator for the anti-Santos group Concerned Citizens of NY-03, said she and others watched the debate Thursday and the vote Friday from the public gallery above the House floor. 
&quot;We're thrilled, obviously, with the outcome,&quot; she said, &quot;but we also think that there needs to be a reckoning on how we ended up with this impostor, this charlatan, this criminal as our congressman for 11 months.&quot; 
Santos' Chief of Staff Marcus Dunn said he spoke to Santos after the vote: &quot;He seemed resolved.&quot; 
Santos'&nbsp;federal criminal trial is scheduled to start Sept. 9 in U.S. District Court in Central Islip. He has pleaded not guilty to all 23 charges.

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House expels George Santos

George Santos expelled from House

Congress Santos

Rep. George Santos was expelled from Congress on Friday. NewsdayTV&#39;s Virginia Huie reports.

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House votes to expel Santos

Newsday

D'Esposito: 'It should have never come to this'

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WASHINGTON&nbsp;— The House Ethics Committee on Thursday said it found “substantial evidence” that Rep. George Santos engaged in &quot;unlawful conduct&quot; and knowingly deceived campaign donors “for his own personal financial profit.” 
Shortly after the panel's report was released, Santos tweeted on X, formerly known as Twitter,&nbsp;that he would not be seeking reelection to a second term. He blasted the committee's report as a “politicized smear.” 
The bipartisan committee said&nbsp;in a <a href="https://ethics.house.gov/sites/ethics.house.gov/files/documents/Committee%20Report_52.pdf">report</a>&nbsp;it planned to immediately refer its findings to the U.S. Department of Justice. 
“Representative Santos’ conduct warrants public condemnation, is beneath the dignity of the office, and has brought severe discredit upon the House,” the report states. 
The report accuses Santos of “blatantly” stealing campaign funds to pay for personal expenses such as $1,500 in Botox treatments, $6,000 in items from high-end fashion brand Ferragamo&nbsp;and $800 at a casino. 
“He deceived donors into providing what they thought were contributions to his campaign but were in fact payments for his personal benefit,&quot; the committee said. 
Santos (R-Nassau/Queens) already is facing 23 federal criminal charges tied primarily to his 2022 campaign in the 3rd Congressional District. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges,&nbsp;including wire fraud and identity theft. 
The Ethics Committee launched an investigation into Santos&nbsp;in late February&nbsp;after he had admitted fabricating key parts of his life story on the campaign trail. Santos’ admissions came after reporting by The New York Times in December found he had lied about his credentials including his education, work experience&nbsp;and religious background. 
Although the report details “unlawful conduct” by Santos, it stops short of issuing any disciplinary recommendations, including expulsion. 
Rep. Michael Guest (R-Miss.), Ethics Committee chairman, plans to file an expulsion measure against Santos as early as Friday, his office told Fox News in a statement Thursday. The move would set up a vote during the week after Thanksgiving. 
&quot;Chairman Guest feels that the evidence uncovered in the Committee’s investigation is more than sufficient to warrant punishment, and that the most appropriate punishment is expulsion,&quot; his office said. 
If the House expels Santos, a special election between candidates chosen by the two political parties will take place&nbsp;in January or February. Also, 18 candidates have filed to compete in the June primary to run for his&nbsp;seat in the Nov. 5, 2024, general election. 
Santos already has survived two efforts to expel him. A push led by a group of House Democrats fizzled in May after failing to secure enough Republican votes, and a measure sponsored by Rep. Anthony D'Esposito (R-Island Park) failed on Nov. 1 to get the necessary two-thirds vote to oust Santos. 
Many of the 182 House Republicans and 31 Democrats who voted against D'Esposito's expulsion measure cited concerns about due process given that Santos had not been convicted of his alleged crimes. But Thursday's report reignited bipartisan calls for his removal and several lawmakers who voted against his expulsion said they would change their votes. 
D’Esposito vowed to try again for passage of an expulsion motion. He said Thursday the Ethics Committee report was &quot;in alignment with my long held belief that this fraudster has no place serving in the People’s House.&quot; 
Rep. Dan Goldman (D-Manhattan), who with Rep. Richie Torres (D-Bronx) filed a complaint with the Ethics Committee in January seeking&nbsp;an investigation into Santos' financial disclosures, said he planned to file&nbsp;an expulsion measure once lawmakers return from their Thanksgiving recess. 
&quot;Now that Republicans no longer have any fictional excuse to protect Santos in order to preserve their narrow majority, I hope they will join Democrats in expelling him from Congress immediately,&quot; Goldman said. 
Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport), a House Ethics Committee member who signed off on the report, said he would vote for a motion to expel Santos, calling him &quot;undeserving of public office.&quot; 
&quot;There is significant evidence that he exploited his position for personal gain,&quot; Garbarino said in a statement. 
Rep. Nick LaLota (R-Amityville), who co-sponsored D'Esposito's expulsion measure, said Thursday: &quot;Now, his election should be invalidated by the House using its Constitutional expulsion powers. Then, at an early-spring special election, my New York neighbors to the west will finally get an opportunity to participate in a valid election.” 
Santos, in a lengthy social media post, said he would &quot;not stand by as I am stoned by those who have flaws themselves.&quot; 
Santos said he would &quot;continue on my mission to serve my constituents up until I am allowed. I will however NOT be seeking re-election for a second term in 2024 as my family deserves better than to be under the gun from the press all the time.&quot; 
Santos repeatedly has blamed his former campaign treasurer Nancy Marks of Shirley for allegations about&nbsp;his campaign finances. But the Ethics Committee report said Santos was not an &quot;unknowing victim,&quot; noting that several campaign staffers raised concerns about Marks to him during the 2022 campaign. The report asserted Santos &quot;was heavily involved in the day-to-day financial operations of his campaigns.&quot; 
Marks pleaded guilty last month in federal court in Central Islip to conspiracy for allegedly providing false information about campaign donors as part of an effort to inflate Santos' donations to make him eligible for additional campaign dollars from Republican campaign groups. 
Santos formed a company in Florida — RedStone Strategies LLC — that he used to collect campaign donations that were instead used for his personal expenses, according to the report. Santos transferred at least $200,000 from RedStone’s bank account to his personal bank account, which he used for purchases at the beauty product store Sephora and the&nbsp;luxury retailer Hermes, along with “smaller purchases” at OnlyFans, an adult website, according to the report. 
The committee also found &quot;substantial evidence&quot; Santos never made all of the $800,000 in personal loans to his congressional campaigns in 2020 and 2022 that he reported to the FEC, despite reimbursement by the campaign for some of those loans. 
A sexual harassment complaint filed with the committee in February by a man seeking employment in Santos' congressional office was dismissed, however. The Ethics Committee&nbsp;report said&nbsp;there &quot;was not substantial reason to believe&quot; the individual's assertions.

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Rep. George Santos won't seek reelection after scathing ethics report cites evidence of lawbreaking

Santos won't seek reelection after ethics report finds 'substantial evidence' of lawbreaking

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George Santos said he won&#39;t seek reelection. NewsdayTV&#39;s Ken Buffa and&nbsp;White House correspondent Laura Figueroa Hernandez report.

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Bye, George: Santos won't run for reelection

What's next for George Santos?

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WASHINGTON — The House Ethics Committee will not recommend whether to expel or sanction Rep. George Santos (R-Nassau/Queens) when it releases a report Thursday&nbsp;on its&nbsp;monthslong investigation into his conduct, the chairman of the committee said Wednesday. 
Rep. Michael Guest (R-Miss.), speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill, said the bipartisan panel would hold off on issuing recommendations on Santos’ future in the U.S. House because doing so would extend&nbsp;the investigation by at least another year. 
“We thought that, based upon the information that was out there to the public … that would be enough for members to be able to make a decision as to whether they believe it would be proper to expel [Santos],” Guest said. 
Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-Island Park) vowed Wednesday&nbsp;to try again for passage of a motion&nbsp;to expel Santos after he and bill co-sponsors failed two weeks ago&nbsp;to get the two-thirds vote necessary for expulsion. 
“New Yorkers already know George Santos is an admitted fraud, and I’ll continue to advocate for his expulsion,” D’Esposito said in a statement to&nbsp;Newsday. 
The Ethics Committee launched an investigation into Santos on Feb. 28. The probe came after a New York Times report two months earlier had found the freshman congressman lied on the campaign trail about key parts of his resume, touting credentials for jobs he never held&nbsp;and education degrees he never obtained. 
A subcommittee was tasked with examining&nbsp;whether Santos “engaged in unlawful activity” during his 2022 campaign in New York's 3rd Congressional District, and whether his financial disclosure forms complied with federal reporting requirements. The subcommittee&nbsp;also was to examine&nbsp;whether Santos violated conflict of interest laws, and probe harassment assertions&nbsp;by an individual who had sought a job in Santos’ congressional office. 
Reached by phone Wednesday, Santos declined to comment, saying he wanted to view the Ethics Committee's report first. 
Santos&nbsp;has pleaded not guilty in federal court to 23 criminal charges including wire fraud, defrauding campaign donors&nbsp;and accepting unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic despite having a job at the time. 
On Tuesday, former Santos campaign fundraiser Sam Miele pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in U.S. District Court in Central Islip. Miele was accused of impersonating an aide to former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to solicit campaign donations. Santos' former campaign treasurer Nancy Marks also has pleaded guilty to a federal conspiracy charge for allegedly providing false information tor campaign donors. 
In a virtual town hall Tuesday&nbsp;night, Santos addressed his mounting legal woes, saying&nbsp;&quot;there's been a significant amount of media coverage on legal troubles that I'm facing, and I am going to be fighting those head on and I look forward to doing so.” 
Stanley Brand, a veteran ethics attorney and former counsel to the House, told Newsday the ethics committee’s holding off on issuing recommendations “sounds like a punt to me, and a serious break with precedent.” 
Brand continued: “The House usually awaits a conviction until moving against a member. This is being proposed without a trial and the usual process for having triers of fact weigh the evidence. Politically expedient but setting a new and dangerous precedent. One more demerit for what is supposed to be a quasi adjudicative exercise.”

News

Nation/World

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George Santos ethics probe won't recommend expulsion

Santos ethics probe won't recommend expulsion

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Michael O'Keeffe

A former fundraiser for Rep. George Santos pleaded guilty to wire fraud Tuesday in a Central Islip&nbsp;courtroom, becoming the second person linked to the embattled congressman’s campaign to admit to a federal crime. 
Samuel Miele, 27,&nbsp;told U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert that he had impersonated a top aide to a high-ranking congressional leader — identified as former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy — while soliciting a financial contribution to the Santos campaign from a donor in August 2021. 
“I knew by doing this that I committed a crime,” Miele, of New York City, told the judge before he pleaded guilty to a single count of wire fraud. 
Miele originally was charged in an indictment filed in August with four counts of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. The indictment did not identify the staffer Miele allegedly impersonated, but media outlets have reported that it was Dan Meyer, McCarthy’s former chief of staff. 
Seybert ordered Miele to return to her courtroom on April 30 for sentencing. The top penalty for wire fraud is 20 years in prison, although he would most likely be sentenced to 27 to 33 months in prison under federal sentencing guidelines. 
“He has acknowledged his wrongdoing,” said Miele’s attorney, Kevin Marino of Chatham, New Jersey.&nbsp;“He made a mistake. This is not the whole story of who Sam really is.” 
Marino declined to say if Miele would cooperate with federal authorities prosecuting Santos, who is facing 23 felony counts, including wire fraud, money laundering and aggravated identity theft. 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-attr-caption="Rep. George Santos blows kisses and waves to hecklers as he leaves the Alfonse D’Amato Federal Courthouse in Central Islip last month." data-attr-credit="" data-attr-has-caption="true" data-attr-has-credit="true" data-attr-q="0.3" data-attr-w="400" data-onecms-id="contentid/291d450c-0d8a-43e0-9012-bcfb6adb35ea" data-onecms-type="image" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/291d450c-0d8a-43e0-9012-bcfb6adb35ea', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/291d450c-0d8a-43e0-9012-bcfb6adb35ea"><img src="/image-service/alias/contentid/291d450c-0d8a-43e0-9012-bcfb6adb35ea/liSANTOS2310281573424.jpg?w=400&amp;q=0.3" />Rep. George Santos blows kisses and waves to hecklers as he leaves the Alfonse D’Amato Federal Courthouse in Central Islip last month.</a> 
Prosecutors said Santos stole tens of thousands of dollars from donors, which he used to buy luxury goods and pay off personal debt. Santos, who represents parts of Queens and Nassau County, is accused of falsifying campaign filings and collecting unemployment when he was employed. 
Santos is also accused of falsely reporting to the Federal Elections Commission that he had lent $500,000 to his campaign, although he had not actually donated any funds and his campaign had less than $8,000 in the bank. The fake loan was an attempt to convince Republican Party officials that he was a serious candidate worth financial support, according to the indictment. 
Santos, identified during the Miele hearing and in Miele court documents as “Candidate #1,” has pleaded not guilty to the charges. 
Santos, declined to comment on the Miele case on Tuesday, but speaking at a virtual town hall on Tuesday, broadly touched on his legal woes. 
&quot;There's been a significant amount of media coverage on legal troubles that I'm facing, and I am going to be fighting those head on and I look forward to doing so,&quot; Santos said. 
Joseph Murray, an attorney for Santos who attended Miele’s hearing, also declined to discuss how Miele’s guilty plea will impact his client. Earlier this month, Santos survived a vote to expel him from the House. Most Republicans and 31 Democrats opposed the measure while both his criminal case and a House Ethics Committee investigation proceeded. 
In an interview with The Associated Press in August, Santos said he promptly fired Miele in late 2021 after being informed that Miele had impersonated Meyer. Santos also told the AP his campaign received a lunch invitation from a purported deep-pocketed donor named Reyem Nad — which is Dan Meyer spelled backward. The invitation, Santo said, was a veiled attempt by Miele to rejoin his campaign. 
Miele acknowledged on Tuesday to charging more than $100,000 to credit cards of donors without authorization. Prosecutors said Miele sent that money to the Santos campaign and the campaigns of other candidates. He also used some of those funds for his personal use. 
“The defendant used fraud and deceit to steal more than $100,000 from his victims, funneling this money into the campaign committees of candidates for the House, and into his own pockets,” Breon Peace, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement. “Defrauding potential political contributors undermines our democracy, and we will vigorously prosecute such conduct.” 
Under his plea deal, Miele agreed to pay $109,171 in restitution and $69,136 in forfeiture. Miele also agreed to repay $470,000 he had solicited from an elderly donor. 
The indictment stated Miele contacted more than a dozen potential contributors using the fake identity, with funds he received from the four individuals being sent through an intermediary service to the Santos campaign bank account in Suffolk County. 
Miele allegedly sent Santos an email in September 2022 admitting to &quot;faking my identity to a big donor,” according to the indictment. 
The former treasurer for the Santos campaign also pleaded guilty last month to a fraud conspiracy charge, and implicated the congressman in a scheme to embellish campaign finance reports with the fake loan and fake donors. 
Longtime Long Island political operative Nancy Marks, a close aide to Santos, said during her Oct. 5 court appearance in Central Islip that she intended to fool Republican Party officials in order to get financial support for Santos’ second run at a congressional seat. 
With Laura Figueroa Hernandez

Crime

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Rep. George Santos' ex-fundraiser, Samuel Miele, pleads guilty to wire fraud in campaign donations scheme

George Santos' ex-fundraiser pleads guilty to wire fraud in campaign donations scheme

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Samuel Miele, a 27-year-old former campaign fundraiser for Rep. George Santos, pleaded guilty to wire fraud Tuesday in Central Islip court. NewsdayTV&rsquo;s Shari Einhorn reports.

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Former Santos fundraiser pleads guilty

long island

Queens

New York City

'It definitely doesn't help his case'

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Yancey Roy

The tangled campaign finances of indicted&nbsp;Rep. George Santos have taken another turn, with a lawyer now saying he made false statements in January about who was handling Santos’ books because he was given misleading information. 
 Back in January, Santos&nbsp;(R-Nassau/Queens), <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/politics/santos-campaign-filing-fec-eake9xyt">told Newsday</a> and other news outlets that Nancy Marks was no longer his campaign treasurer. The replacement, according to Santos, was Thomas Datwyler, a Wisconsin-based consultant involved with many GOP campaigns — including those of Reps. Anthony D’Esposito and Nick LaLota and other first-term Republican House members from&nbsp;New York.&nbsp; 
 Datwyler’s lawyer, Derek Ross, at the time said Datwyler wasn’t working for Santos and attributed Santos' assertion to miscommunication. 
 That all changed just days ago, when Ross sent a letter to the Federal Election Commission essentially saying he was duped and that he was withdrawing his January statement because he couldn’t vouch for its veracity. 
 Ross cited new&nbsp;reporting&nbsp;— just after the Daily Beast ran an extensive story saying Datwyler apparently did the work for Santos for months but hid the fact. 
 “Regrettably, recent public reporting has caused me to lose confidence in the accuracy and veracity of the information provided by Mr. Datwyler at the time I submitted those communications on his behalf,” <a href="https://docquery.fec.gov/pdf/372/202310270300454372/202310270300454372.pdf">Ross wrote </a>to the FEC. “After careful review of the new information and a reevaluation of the facts, it has become evident that the content of the original communications may no longer accurately represent the situation described in my correspondence.” 
 Later in the letter, Ross said: “I am currently evaluating my ethical obligations in regard to future representation of Mr. Datwyler.” 
 On Thursday, Santos told Newsday that Datwyler and he had agreed on the new role, but Datwyler publicly disavowed the arrangement after getting heat from other clients. 
 &quot;He got public scrutiny and he got pushback ... .,&quot; Santos said. He said Datwyler told him Andrew Olson — identified in news media reports as a&nbsp;longtime friend&nbsp;— would do the job. Despite that assertion, Santos said he wound up dealing with Datwyler on campaign finance&nbsp;matters even though Olson's name was included on all emails.&nbsp; 
 Santos said he was &quot;trying to navigate being a new member&quot; and the treasurer post was &quot;not something I was focusing on at all.&quot; Eventually, he said he parted ways with the pair and hired a new treasurer &quot;because I just didn't feel comfortable with the setup anymore.&quot;&nbsp; 
 Santos faces a 23-count indictment alleging he filed fraudulent fundraising reports to obtain financial support for his campaign, stole from political donors, lied on his congressional financial disclosure forms and fraudulently obtained unemployment benefits authorized through COVID-19 programs. He has <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/crime/george-santos-arraignment-new-charges-e71espi8">pleaded</a> not guilty. 
 He has been exposed for making false claims about his education and work history, about his relatives surviving the Holocaust, about being Jewish and about his mother dying in the 9/11 attacks, among other things. 
 Further, Marks, Santos’ original campaign treasurer, recently <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/politics/george-santos-treasurer-nancy-marks-charged-ijkfz76q">pleaded</a> guilty to filing false information with the FEC and the Republican National Committee about Santos’ fundraising. Santos has blamed Marks for questions about his filings. 
 Datwyler couldn’t be reached immediately for comment. He has worked extensively with numerous Republican candidates and, records show, is the treasurer for D’Esposito (R-Island Park), LaLota (R-Amityville) and a campaign account called New York Majority Makers, a committee that it says helps other freshman Republicans in the state, as first reported by Politico. 
 LaLota, asked by CNN about his ties to Datwyler and Ross’ claims to the FEC, said Datwyler provides campaign services for about “100 different” members of Congress and added: “I’m going to hold out on commenting on that until&nbsp;I can confirm the information myself.” 
 D’Esposito didn’t immediately comment. 
 D’Esposito and LaLota spearheaded a push to <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/politics/santos-expel-house-q3a6gchk">expel</a> Santos from the House of Representatives, but the vote on Wednesday fell short. LaLota told CNN he thinks some members might change their minds once the House Ethics Committee finishes and reports its investigation into Santos, expected in about two weeks. 
 With Laura Figueroa Hernandez

STSANTOS231104

Who was Santos' campaign treasurer in January? Lawyer changes his statement

Lawyer changes statement on who was Santos' campaign treasurer in January

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Tom Brune

WASHINGTON —&nbsp;Rep. George Santos survived a vote to expel him from Congress Wednesday despite the move to oust him by his fellow Long Island Republicans who cited his admitted fabrications and the 23-count federal criminal indictment against him. 
 The motion failed 179 yeas to 213 nays, falling well short of the two-thirds vote of those present and voting. A total of 155 Democrats and 24 Republicans voted to make him only the sixth member to ever be expelled from the U.S. House. But 182 Republicans and 31 Democrats voted against the motion, 19 voted present and 22 did not vote. 
 The expulsion motion’s defeat means&nbsp;the embattled 35-year-old first-term Santos, who has dodged two expulsion attempts, will remain in the House for the time being and possibly until after his Sept. 9 federal trial ends. 
 The vote came after the House Ethics Committee announced Tuesday that it will release a report by Nov. 17 on its next steps in its investigation into Santos and after House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) expressed reluctance about expelling him. 
 And it came after Johnson said in an appearance on Fox News&nbsp;he worried about Republicans’ narrow majority of only four votes that could shrink in the future and about disturbing Santos’ right to due process to defend himself in court. 
 On social media, Santos crowed about avoiding expulsion, posting on X a photo&nbsp;of himself wearing a golden crown, with the House chamber in the background&nbsp;and the words: “If you come at me, you best not miss.” 
 Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-Island Park), the expulsion motion sponsor, and Rep. Nick LaLota (R-Amityville), a co-sponsor, said after the motion failed that some of the members voting no might be waiting to see the ethics committee report. 
 &quot;We expect the ethics committee report due in a couple of weeks to enlighten some of our colleagues on both sides of the aisle,&quot; LaLota said. &quot;We expect a lot of those folks to change after the ethics committee report is unveiled.&quot; 
 Before the vote, a debate on the expulsion took place in a nearly empty House chamber, with D’Esposito, LaLota&nbsp;and Rep. Mike Lawler (R-Pearl River) at one desk arguing for his&nbsp;ouster, Santos sitting&nbsp;alone at another&nbsp;and Rep. Daniel Goldman (D-Manhattan) across the aisle. Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport) sat away from the table and took no part in the debate. 
 The expulsion sponsors stressed Santos'&nbsp;lies about his background —&nbsp;especially falsely claiming he is Jewish and his mother died in the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attack&nbsp;on the World Trade Center&nbsp;— to appeal to the 3rd District’s voters, and now being incapable of getting a bill passed or a project funded. 
 House Republicans in May&nbsp;<a href="http://House Republicans on Wednesday derailed a Democrat-led effort to force a vote to expel Rep. George Santos, a week after he was indicted on 13 federal criminal charges related to his personal and campaign finances.">derailed</a> a Democrat-led effort to force a vote to expel Santos, a week after he was indicted on&nbsp;13 federal criminal charges related to his personal and campaign finances. 
 On Wednesday, Goldman questioned why Republicans didn’t back the Democratic motion&nbsp;and asked what had changed from then to now.&nbsp; 
 D’Esposito cited two changes: Santos’ former campaign treasurer pleaded guilty to falsifying campaign finance reports, including a $500,000 loan debt, just weeks ago, and on Oct. 10 federal prosecutors charged Santos with an additional 10 criminal offenses. 
 When Santos rose to defend himself, he accused the resolution sponsors of acting as “judge, jury and executioner.” He also said that “now is not the time to set a dangerous precedent” by expelling him before he has a chance to defend himself at trial. 
 But LaLota argued it is time for a new precedent, saying “if a candidate for Congress makes his entire life up in order to defraud voters” and succeeds, the House should “expel the fraudster.” 
 Before the vote, D’Esposito said he might offer another motion to expel Santos. 
 “In two weeks, we will read the ethics report. And, you know, you don't need to be a retired New York City detective to understand that report is probably not going to be that good,” D’Esposito said. “And we'll go from there.” 
 Santos has denied wrongdoing, pleaded not guilty to all 23 federal charges and vowed to fight the indictment in court. “I want to fight to defend myself,” Santos told Newsday last week. “I’m entitled to due process.” 
 Only five members of Congress have been expelled from the U.S. House and only two for criminal convictions. The first three lost their seats in 1861 over their support for the Confederate rebellion as the Civil War began. 
 More recently, the House voted to expel Rep. Michael Myers (D-Pa.) in 1980 for his bribery conviction in the Abscam scandal —&nbsp;a sting operation in which FBI agents posed as Middle East oil dealers offering bribes —&nbsp;and Rep. James Traficant (D-Ohio) in 2002 for his conviction on bribery, corruption, tax evasion, racketeering and six other federal charges.

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George Santos survives second attempt to expel him from Congress

Effort to expel George Santos from Congress fails

WASHINGTON — Newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed reluctance to expel the indicted Rep. George Santos on Thursday evening, citing the thin House Republican majority and Santos’ right to defend himself in a trial. 
 “We have no margin for error,” Johnson (R-La.) said of his party’s four-vote margin in a Fox News interview. He added, “George Santos is due ‘due process,’ right?” 
 Yet Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-Island Park) remained undaunted in his attempt to force Santos (R-Nassau/Queens) out of Congress with a vote to expel him next week — despite Santos’ not guilty plea Friday to 10 new federal criminal charges filed against him on Oct. 10. 
 “George Santos’ ‘not guilty’ plea today doesn’t change the fact that he conned his way into Congress and spends the vast majority of his time defending himself in court instead of serving his constituents,” D’Esposito said in a statement Friday. 
 “The resolution I filed to expel Santos will provide Congress with the opportunity to rid the People’s House of this serial fraudster,” D'Esposito&nbsp;said. 
 Santos has admitted fabricating much of his biography and was implicated by his former campaign treasurer, Nancy Marks of Shirley, in her guilty plea to fraudulent activities involving donors and required federal campaign reports. 
 Federal prosecutors have charged Santos with 23 counts of defrauding campaign contributors, making false statements on financial disclosure and campaign finance reports, and illegally taking unemployment payments, among other offenses. 
 In the Fox News interview, Johnson said Republicans have just a four-seat majority in the House that may be reduced even more and could result in “the most razor-thin majority” in the history of the House. 
 “We have to allow due process to play itself out. That’s what our system of justice is for,” Johnson said of Santos. “He's not convicted. He's charged. And so if we're going to expel people from Congress just because they're charged with a crime, then — or accused —&nbsp;that's a problem.” 
 Santos did not respond to a request for comment. But on Wednesday, he told Newsday: “I am entitled to due process.” 
 Rep. Nick LaLota (R-Amityville), a Hofstra Law School graduate and co-sponsor the expulsion motion, said, “Due Process is not a license to endlessly stall. Rather, it’s constitutional&nbsp; guarantee that the accused receives notice and has an opportunity to be heard.&quot; 
 LaLota continued, “In this case, both requirements have been met, and Santos has actually admitted to enough fraud warranting his expulsion from Congress.” 
 With Laura Figueroa Hernandez&nbsp;

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House Speaker Mike Johnson reluctant to expel George Santos 

Speaker Mike Johnson reluctant to expel Santos 

Congress Speaker

Nicole Fuller

Indicted Long Island Congressman George Santos will go on trial next September&nbsp;on fraud and conspiracy charges connected to alleged wrongdoing involving his congressional campaign, the judge in his case said Friday as Santos appeared in a Central Islip courtroom. 
 Santos, 35, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in federal court to 10 new charges unsealed earlier this month that allege he filed fraudulent fundraising reports to obtain financial support for his congressional campaign and stole thousands of dollars from his campaign contributors’ credit cards. 
 Prosecutors had asked for the trial, which will also include 13 previously filed charges against Santos, to begin in May or June. But U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert said she had other cases with defendants in custody that would take priority. She set his trial date for Sept. 9. 
 Afterward, Santos&nbsp;left&nbsp;the courthouse to chants of “Hey, hey, ho, ho! Santos has got to go!” He blew kisses and waved to the crowd of about two dozen while walking to a waiting white Jeep Grand Cherokee with his attorney.&nbsp;Both entered the car without commenting to reporters.&nbsp; 
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 The&nbsp;23-count superseding indictment charges&nbsp;him with&nbsp;one count of conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States, two counts of wire fraud, two counts of making materially false statements to the Federal Election Commission, two counts of falsifying records submitted to obstruct the FEC, two counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of access device fraud, as well as the earlier filed charges. 
 Santos, a freshman Republican who came into Congress under a cloud of controversy after The New York Times reported that he had lied about much of his professional and personal background, was first indicted in May on 13 counts alleging he orchestrated a series of schemes while running for Congress. He pleaded not guilty to those charges and has resisted calls to resign. 
 When Seybert announced the trial date of Sept.&nbsp;9, some members of the public reacted with audible dismay.&nbsp; 
 Susan Naftol, of the nonpartisan anti-Santos group Concerned Citizens of NY-03&nbsp;— the 3rd Congressional District, which Santos represents&nbsp;— was one of those who expressed unhappiness with the trial date.&nbsp; 
 &quot;Because that means this fraud remains in Congress in our seat and we have no representation,” Naftol, of Plainview, explained outside the courtroom. 
 Santos’ latest court appearance came amid a revived effort from his fellow lawmakers to remove him from his congressional seat representing parts of Nassau and Queens. 
 It’s unclear whether the&nbsp;fractured House, with a slim GOP majority, will coalesce around the resolution introduced by fellow Long Island Republican Reps. Nick LaLota and Anthony D’Esposito. 
 The legislation needs two-thirds of House members to vote in favor of it to oust Santos. A vote could happen as soon as next week. 
 As Santos left the courthouse, Rich Osthoff, a New Jersey man, shouted at him. Osthoff has alleged that Santos in 2016 stole $3,000 meant to provide medical care for his sick dog, who later died. 
 “You killed my dog, George!” Osthoff shouted.&nbsp; 
<h2> Seeking a trial in spring </h2> 
 In court Friday, Santos was briefly put under oath for a Curcio hearing to determine if his attorney Joseph Murray could continue to represent him despite the lawyer having potential conflicts. 
 Murray had alerted prosecutors to his prior relationships with two key parties in the case against Santos. Nancy Marks, the former Santos campaign treasurer who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States, was also the treasurer for Murray’s failed 2019 bid for Queens district attorney. Murray’s campaign lasted two months, though his campaign account remains open but inactive. 
 Marks, in pleading guilty, admitted&nbsp;that she filed reports with both the FEC and the Republican National Committee that included the names of false donors to artificially&nbsp;inflate the amount of funds Santos&nbsp;raised&nbsp;to meet bench marks necessary to receive financial assistance from the national committee&nbsp;to meet the committee's goals 
 Additionally, Murray had a “personal relationship” with “Person #1” as identified in the indictment against Santos “arising from their mutual involvement in local politics,” prosecutors said. Murray had initial conversations about potentially representing him&nbsp;but ultimately didn’t. 
 Santos, who discussed the matter privately with separate legal counsel assigned by the court — Evan Sugar of the Federal Defenders — agreed to continue with Murray as his lawyer. 
 Sugar told the judge he had explained to Santos “the potential pitfalls, downsides” to continuing with Murray. Santos, who nodded as both Murray and Sugar spoke, told the judge, “Yes, your honor” when asked if he wanted to continue with Murray. 
 Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Harris said the prosecution would take “at its longest” about three weeks&nbsp;to try the case based on the superseding indictment and requested that if Seybert’s&nbsp;schedule opens up,&nbsp; Santos’ trial could potentially be moved up. 
 Harris cited Santos’ position as a congressman and the “enormous public interest in the case” as reasons to proceed quickly. 
 Murray said he intended to bring on two lawyers to help him try the case. 
 “I do expect to put on a defense case,” said Murray, who estimated it would take a few days. 
 Murray also complained to the judge about comments made by Marks’ attorney, Ray Perini, following her guilty plea earlier this month. 
 “Her attorney went outside this courthouse and announced to the world&nbsp;that she has no plea agreement, but if she is asked to appear, she will quote, ‘Do the right thing,’” said Murray, adding,&nbsp;“I was just shocked by that. … It was very troubling to me.” 
 Prosecutors did not respond to Murray’s comments, but the judge said: “There’s not&nbsp;much I can do about that.”&nbsp; 
 Santos was arrested in May on charges that he stole from political donors, fraudulently received unemployment benefits authorized under COVID-19, and lied on his congressional financial disclosure forms. 
 The Republican lawmaker, who remained&nbsp;free on a $500,000 unsecured bond, previously pleaded not guilty to those charges: seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives as part of the alleged schemes that prosecutors said began in 2020. 
<h2> New charges detailed </h2> 
 In the new crimes alleged, prosecutors said Santos and Marks “conspired with one another to devise and execute a fraudulent scheme to obtain money for the campaign by submitting materially false reports to the FEC on behalf of the campaign, in which they inflated the campaign’s fundraising numbers for the purpose of misleading the FEC, a national party committee, and the public.” 
 Santos and Marks embarked on the scheme, prosecutors said, because they needed to demonstrate that his campaign had raised at least $250,000 from third-party contributors in a single quarter. 
 Santos and Marks “agreed to falsely report to the FEC that at least 10 family members of Santos and Marks had made significant financial contributions to the campaign” even though that was not the case, prosecutors said. 
 The pair also falsely reported to the FEC that Santos had lent the campaign money, including a $500,000 loan, at a time when Santos had less than $8,000 in his personal and business bank accounts, prosecutors said. 
 Santos also allegedly stole from his own supporters, prosecutors said. 
 From between approximately December 2021 and August 2022, Santos “devised and executed” a scheme in which he allegedly charged the credit cards of his campaign contributors, sometimes repeatedly, without their authorization. The money was transferred to Santos’ campaign, the campaigns of other elected officials, and to his own bank account, prosecutors said. 
<h2> Protesters sound off </h2> 
 Anti-Santos protesters began gathering outside the courthouse Friday morning. 
 Several later spoke at a news conference organized by Concerned Citizens of NY-03.&nbsp; 
 Emily Raphael of Plainview, a member of the organization’s steering committee, noted that Santos has been an ongoing punchline for social media memes and late-night talk show hosts. 
 “I’d really like to stress that turning his lying and his indecent lack of integrity, his criminality, into a punchline really trivializes the wrong being done to the people in his district,” Raphael said. “I am one of them.&nbsp;I am from Plainview. It’s not actually funny to have Santos pretend to represent us.”&nbsp; 
 Paul Bua of Baldwin said Santos’ court appearance&nbsp;Friday was “just another episode in this malignant clown show of MAGA extremism holding the country hostage.” 
 “George Santos is just one symptom of the cancer that has enveloped our civic life, and we are here to call it out on every level,” Bua said. “It is specious to think of Santos as a singular event. George Santos is the product of the cabal that has incubated him for years in local politics. He was vetted and ran twice with the blessing of his local party.” 
 With Laura Figueroa Hernandez and&nbsp;Michael O'Keeffe

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Rep. George Santos pleads not guilty to new charges in Central Islip

Rep. George Santos pleads not guilty to new fraud charges

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Congressman pleads not guilty to new fraud charges as judge sets trial date for next September. NewsdayTV&#39;s Shari&nbsp;Einhorn reports.&nbsp;

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George Santos has another day in court

A wave and a kiss for the media

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WASHINGTON — Rep. George Santos (R-Nassau/Queens) — facing a federal court hearing on Friday and an expulsion vote in the U.S. House next week — said Thursday&nbsp;he would “fight” criminal charges against him but would not “beg” for support to stay in Congress. 
 “I want to fight to defend myself,” Santos said in a phone interview about whether he was considering a plea deal before Friday’s U.S. District Court hearing in Central Islip where he’ll be arraigned on 10 new criminal charges. 
 “I’m just going to go through the process,” he said of&nbsp;the arraignment. “I’m entitled to due process.” 
 A superseding indictment filed Oct. 10 accuses Santos of running up unauthorized charges on some campaign donors’ credit cards and listing false campaign donations to qualify for additional funds from national Republican groups. 
 In May, federal prosecutors filed a 13-count indictment against him. Santos pleaded not guilty to those charges, which include allegations that he fraudulently took COVID-19 unemployment benefits while still employed. 
 Santos has said repeatedly he would not entertain a plea deal, and would fight to prove his innocence. 
 But next week, Santos will face a verdict from his congressional colleagues on whether he should finish his term or be ousted from his seat representing the Third Congressional District in Nassau and Queens. 
 On Thursday afternoon, Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-Island Park) went to the House floor and teed up a privileged motion to force a vote next week on whether to expel Santos. D’Esposito said the vote likely will occur&nbsp;next Thursday&nbsp;or Friday. 
 D’Esposito and Rep. Nick LaLota (R-Amityville) said they had told newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) about the expulsion vote, which will be one of the first major votes under his speakership. 
 “He said, ‘Do what you think is right and do what's right for your district,’” D’Esposito said. 
 D’Esposito and LaLota acknowledged if they forced out Santos they would be shrinking the Republicans’ already slim House majority. 
 “This is not something we want to do. This is something that we think is the right thing to do,” D’Esposito said. 
 The expulsion motion will require yes votes from at least 68 Republicans if all 212 Democrats vote to remove Santos. 
 D’Esposito said he had not determined how Republicans are likely to&nbsp;vote. But he expressed confidence the expulsion would pass while acknowledging some GOP colleagues oppose the motion because Santos has not had a chance to defend himself against the charges in court. 
 In May, House Republicans derailed a Democrat’s motion to expel Santos by voting to refer the matter to the House Ethics Committee, where it remains. 
 Asked about another expulsion vote, Santos said, “I won't put an ounce of effort into begging people to give me my constitutional right of due process.” 
 He continued, “If they all feel like this is something they're OK with, and my colleagues want to do it, that's on them. That's on their conscience. I won't beg for my rights.”

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George Santos: On eve of court hearing, says he'll continue to 'fight'

George Santos, on eve of court hearing, says he'll continue to 'fight'

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Rep. Anthony D&#39;Esposito filed a resolution to expel Santos&nbsp;on Oct.&nbsp;11, but the House didn&rsquo;t have a speaker. NewsdayTV&#39;s Steve Langford reports.

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Potential explusion vote for Rep. George Santos

Should Rep. George Santos be expelled from Congress?

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WASHINGTON —&nbsp;A motion to expel Rep. George Santos from Congress could&nbsp;be brought up on the House floor for a vote&nbsp;as soon as next week, according to&nbsp;its sponsor, Rep. Anthony D’Esposito. 
 The decision by D’Esposito (R-Island Park) to move ahead on the expulsion comes as the House reopens for business after a three-week intraparty struggle over electing a new speaker and a day before Santos (R-Nassau-Queens) faces a much-anticipated court appearance&nbsp;Friday. 
 D’Esposito said he would discuss the timing of a vote&nbsp;on the motion with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), elected Wednesday to replace the ousted Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). 
 Under House rules, a vote on a motion to expel must be held within two legislative days after its sponsor notifies the chair of his intent to raise the question regarding his&nbsp;privileged resolution. Two-thirds of the House must vote for the expulsion for it to happen. 
 On Wednesday, D’Esposito said he might file that notice as soon as Thursday, but on Thursday his spokesman said D’Esposito now is more likely to file it next week. 
 D’Esposito filed a resolution to expel Santos on Oct. 11, but the House could not operate without an elected speaker.&nbsp; 
 The indictment in May charged Santos with ripping off political donors, fraudulently taking unemployment benefits and lying on his congressional financial disclosure forms. &nbsp; 
 The new charges allege Santos stole people's identities, made charges on donors' credit cards without authorization, lied to the FEC,&nbsp;inflated reported campaign receipts with nonexistent loans and fabricated or stole&nbsp;donations. 
 Santos has denied&nbsp;the charges&nbsp;and vowed&nbsp;to fight them in court. 
 His aides did not respond to a request for comment.

USSANTOS231026

D'Esposito: Motion to expel George Santos coming to House floor

Motion to expel Santos moves ahead

The criminal defense attorney for indicted Rep. George Santos could be dismissed from the case over potential conflicts due to his relationships with two witnesses who could potentially testify against the congressman. 
 In court papers filed Friday, federal prosecutors requested a hearing before U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert to examine the issue after Santos’ attorney, Joseph Murray, advised prosecutors that he had a professional relationship with Nancy Marks. 
 Marks, Santos' former&nbsp;campaign treasurer, pleaded guilty earlier this month&nbsp;to a single count of conspiracy to defraud the United States&nbsp;for falsely listing donors and artificially&nbsp;inflating the amount of funds he raised&nbsp;to meet financial bench marks necessary to receive financial assistance. 
 Marks, a mainstay in Republican campaigns for more than a decade, was the treasurer for Murray’s failed 2019 bid for Queens district &nbsp;attorney. Murray’s campaign lasted two months, though his campaign account remains open but inactive. 
 Additionally, Murray also had a “personal relationship” with “Person #1” as identified in the indictment against Santos “arising from their mutual involvement in local politics,” prosecutors said. 
 Person #1 had an initial consultation with Murray and tried to retain him for legal representation, but Murray never entered into a retainer and declined because he was already representing Santos, prosecutors said. 
 “Mr. Murray’s relationships with Person #1 and Ms. Marks pose inherent dangers in that his affiliation with these individuals, each of whom was centrally involved in one of the criminal schemes charged in the Indictment, has the potential to affect his advice and conduct in this matter,” wrote federal prosecutors. &quot;They contend that the prior relationships could impact Murray’s advice to Santos on whether to proceed to trial or plead guilty and his potential cross-examination of either Person #1 or Ms. Marks if the case goes to trial,&quot; the court document states.&nbsp; 
 Prosecutors said Murray advised them of the potential conflicts after Marks pleaded guilty Oct. 5, saying he “was concerned about the potential conflicts or appearance of conflicts&nbsp;created by the aforementioned relationships.” 
 Reached by telephone Friday, Murray said: “It was me that brought it to their attention because I wanted to clear the air and make sure there’s no issue, and I planned on addressing it with the judge as well.” 
 He added that Santos, a Republican who represents parts of Nassau and Queens, knows about the relationships, and &nbsp;Murray expects to continue representing him. 
 “He’s obviously been aware of this the whole time,” Murray said. “I revealed it to him right off the bat and he had no issue.” 
 Santos, 35, whose congressional career began with controversy after he admitted lying or embellishing multiple parts of his resume and background, was arrested in May on charges that he&nbsp;orchestrated a series of schemes while running for Congress, including ripping off political donors, fraudulently receiving unemployment benefits authorized under COVID-19 and lying on his congressional financial disclosure forms. 
 A superseding indictment unsealed earlier this month alleged that Santos filed fraudulent fundraising reports to obtain financial support for his congressional campaign and stole thousands of dollars from his campaign contributors by charging their credit cards without authorization.&nbsp; 
 Santos has denied the allegations.&nbsp; 
 Santos is scheduled to be arraigned next Friday at federal court in Central Islip on the new charges, including two counts of wire fraud, two counts of making materially false statements to the Federal Election Commission, two counts of falsifying records submitted to obstruct the commission, two counts of aggravated identity theft&nbsp;and one count of access device fraud.

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Rep. George Santos' criminal defense attorney, Joseph Murray, has potential conflict in the case, federal prosecutors argue

Santos' criminal defense attorney has potential conflict in the case, court papers say

WASHINGTON — Indicted Rep. George Santos’ reelection campaign reported Sunday that it is deep in debt, with less than $23,000 in the bank and more than $123,000 in unpaid bills. 
 And that does not count $630,000 in unrepaid loans that Santos says he made for his 2022 race —&nbsp;loans that have drawn the scrutiny of prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of New York. 
 From July to September, Santos’s campaign reported it had raised $674 in un-itemized contributions and refunded $17,200 to 14 contributors while spending $42,000 on operating expenditures, according to the filing with the Federal Election Commission. 
 That left a deep red bottom line for total contributions of -$16,526. 
 During the last quarter, Santos’ new campaign treasurer, Jason Boles of Atlanta, also reported to the FEC that he had found seven new unpaid bills from Santos’ 2022 campaign for office — expenses not recorded by Santos’ former treasurer, Nancy Marks of Shirley. 
 Among them was an unpaid legal bill to the Dickinson Wright law firm worth nearly $89,000, of which the Santos campaign paid $20,000. 
 The campaign also ran up a bill of $10,000 for election night catering that is still unpaid&nbsp;at&nbsp;Santos’ favorite restaurant, Il Bacco in Queens. 
 And the campaign paid $3,500 of the $7,500 owed to his communications director, Gabrielle Lipsky, for her&nbsp;work last year. The campaign also owes&nbsp;about $13,200 to three firms for mail fundraising programs, the filing said. 
 Lipsky and Santos’ spokesperson&nbsp;did not immediately respond to a Newsday request for comment. 
 New questions surround the accuracy of Santos’ campaign finance filings after federal prosecutors this month filed a superseding indictment adding 10 new charges against Santos and accepted Marks' guilty plea in federal court admitting that she filed false reports with the FEC. 
 The superseding indictment alleges Santos stole people's identities and made charges on his donors' credit cards without authorization, lied to the FEC and inflated reported campaign receipts with nonexistent loans and fabricated or stolen donations. 
 Those additional charges came after Marks told a judge she worked with Santos to artificially inflate the amount of funds he raised to meet the $250,000 financial benchmark necessary to receive financial assistance from the&nbsp;national Republican&nbsp;committee. 
 Santos was arrested in May on charges that he orchestrated a series of schemes while running for Congress, including ripping off political donors, fraudulently receiving unemployment benefits authorized under COVID-19 and lying on his congressional financial disclosure forms. 
 Santos denies the charges against him and vows to fight them in court.&nbsp;

Elections

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Rep. George Santos' reelection campaign deep in debt, new filing shows

George Santos' reelection campaign deep in debt, new filing shows

WASHINGTON — Rep. George Santos said Wednesday&nbsp;he will fight a new slate of federal criminal charges to “the bitter end” and resisted renewed calls for his expulsion from Congress. 
 “I’m pretty much denying every last bit of charges,” Santos (R-Nassau/Queens) told reporters at his&nbsp;office in the Longworth House Office Building. 
 On Tuesday,&nbsp;prosecutors unsealed a <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/crime/george-santos-indicted-new-charges-pzc3qzoi">superseding indictment</a>&nbsp;with 10 new charges including wire fraud and identity theft. Those charges were on top of the <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/crime/george-santos-indictment-arrest-long-island-o4iugv5k">13-count indictment</a> earlier this year that alleged Santos defrauded campaign donors by spending campaign funds on his personal expenses including designer clothing.&nbsp;Long Island GOP Reps.&nbsp;Anthony D'Esposito&nbsp;and Nick LaLota&nbsp;said Wednesday they will introduce a motion to expel Santos from Congress. 
 The new charges allege Santos stole thousands of dollars from his campaign contributors by charging their credit cards without authorization. He also is accused of filing fraudulent fundraising reports to obtain financial support from national political groups for his congressional campaign. 
 Santos, who&nbsp;pleaded not guilty to the previous charges in May, said Wednesday he will not take a plea deal and is not in discussions for one. 
 &quot;The reason&nbsp;is,&nbsp;I'm so strong in my convictions that I can prove my innocence,&quot; Santos said. He&nbsp;is expected to be arraigned on the new charges on Oct. 27.&nbsp; 
 Asked about the new allegations, Santos appeared to place the responsibility on&nbsp;his former campaign treasurer, Nancy Marks, who last week <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/politics/george-santos-treasurer-nancy-marks-charged-ijkfz76q">pleaded guilty</a> in federal court to conspiracy to defraud the United States, stemming from her role in Santos’ 2022 campaign. 
 “I'm not blaming that on her;&nbsp;I'm just saying it wasn't me,” Santos said of the newest allegations. “I didn't handle the finances … That's why you pay treasurers and fundraisers and financial advisers for a campaign. That’s why you have these hefty campaign expenses. Why would I on God's green earth even handle a credit card? It was just not the case.” 
 Last week, Marks admitted she filed reports with&nbsp;the Federal Elections Commission and the Republican National Committee that included the names of false donors in order to artificially inflate the amount Santos raised to meet financial benchmarks necessary to receive financial assistance from the national committee. 
 Marks’ attorney, Ray Perini, did not respond to a phone message seeking comment on Wednesday. 
 Asked about the alleged false donors, Santos said he had created “target lists” of potential donors and put a dollar amount next to their names as a fundraising goal. 
 “It's not like I sent that and I said, ‘Here, go fraud these, go input these,’ ” Santos said. 
 Stanley Brand, a longtime ethics attorney who once served as counsel for the U.S. House, said federal prosecutors have increased pressure on Santos. 
 “They are really trying to bury him — as if the first indictment wasn’t enough,&quot; Brand said. 
 He added, “The sense I have is, the second indictment is because he hasn’t sought a deal on the first indictment. Now they’ve upped the ante.” 
 And, he said, “I just don’t understand his defense strategy.” 
 Santos&nbsp;rejected renewed calls for his expulsion and said he's still running for reelection. 
 “I’m entitled to due process,” Santos said. 
 D'Esposito (R-Island Park) and LaLota (R-Amityville) told reporters&nbsp;they planned on filing an expulsion measure Wednesday afternoon. Both said&nbsp;they believed the new charges would compel two-thirds of House members to vote for expulsion, despite previous failed attempts by House Democrats to do the same. 
 In May, Democrats filed a <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/nation/effort-to-expel-santos-falters-as-republicans-vote-to-send-measure-to-ethics-committee-pelpa9dc">measure</a> to expel Santos, but&nbsp;it was blocked by House Republicans, who voted instead to refer the matter to the House Ethics Committee, which is probing Santos' financial disclosures and his actions while in office. 
 D'Esposito&nbsp;made the motion to refer the Democrats'&nbsp;measure to the ethics committee, saying at the time: &quot;I firmly believe this is the quickest way of ridding the House of Representatives of this scourge on government.&quot; 
 On Wednesday, D'Esposito told reporters he believed the ethics panel &quot;has been a little busy, but it's time that we see results.&quot; 
 &quot;After the latest indictment I think it's clear that he's not fit to serve in the House of Representatives,&quot; said D'Esposito. 
 Asked what was different about this latest effort to remove Santos, and whether Santos was entitled to due process before being removed, LaLota said: &quot;I think there's some amount of process that folks who are accused of these things should be afforded;&nbsp;however, that amount of process is now behind us. It's time to move on.&quot; 
 The measure will need to wait on the election of a new House Speaker to proceed with a potential vote. House Republicans on Wednesday nominated Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) to replace former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who was removed from&nbsp;his post last week after a group of conservative hard-liners forced a vote&nbsp;on his removal. 
 Scalise's nomination must now be put up for a full floor vote. 
 Santos had endorsed Scalise's opponent, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who previously told CNN he would not push for Santos' immediate removal before the ethics committee investigation was complete. Scalise has not yet publicly stated his opinion on whether Santos should be removed. 
 Santos told reporters his interactions with Scalise were limited, noting that since he arrived in Washington in January, he has had &quot;maybe one exchange&quot; with Scalise. 
 Santos said he also will continue with his reelection campaign for New York's 3rd&nbsp;Congressional District. More than 20 candidates have entered the race for the seat that includes Nassau and parts of Queens, including former Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove), who announced his bid to retake the seat&nbsp;on Tuesday morning.

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Rep. George Santos denies new charges he stole campaign donors' IDs, made unauthorized credit card charges

Santos denies new charges he stole donor IDs, made unauthorized charges to their credit cards

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As Rep.&nbsp;George Santos has been indicted on new charges alleging he filed fraudulent fundraising reports to obtain financial support for his congressional campaign and stole thousands of dollars from his campaign contributors by charging their credit cards without authoritization,&nbsp;some LI reps&nbsp;have started a motion to remove him&nbsp;from Congress. NewsdayTV&#39;s Shari Einhorn reports.

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Rep. George Santos faces new charges

LI GOP reps initiate motion to remove George Santos from Congress

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Long Island congressman George Santos has been indicted on new charges alleging that he filed fraudulent fundraising reports to obtain financial support for his congressional campaign and stole thousands of dollars from his campaign contributors by charging their credit cards without authoritization, federal prosecutors said Tuesday. 
 The 23-count superseding indictment unsealed Tuesday against Santos, a freshman congressman already under indictment for allegedly orchestrating a series of schemes while running for Congress, charges him with one count of conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States, two counts of wire fraud, two counts of making materially false statements to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), two counts of falsifying records submitted to obstruct the FEC, two counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of access device fraud. 
 &nbsp;“As alleged, Santos is charged with stealing people’s identities and making charges on his own donors’ credit cards without their authorization, lying to the FEC and, by extension, the public about the financial state of his campaign,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement. “Santos falsely inflated the campaign’s reported receipts with nonexistent loans and contributions that were either fabricated or stolen.” 
 Santos is expected to be arraigned on the new charges on Oct. 27, when he’s set to appear back at the federal courthouse in Central Islip. 
 Santos, who was in a closed-door House GOP conference meeting when the superceeding indictment was announced, told reporters near his congressional office on Tuesday night that he had no comment. 
 &quot;I was in conference like everyone else without my phone, so I have nothing to talk about,&quot; Santos said. 
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 The new charges against Santos came five days after his former campaign treasurer, Nancy Marks, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States, admitting that she filed reports with both the FEC and the Republican National Committee that included the names of false donors in order to artificially&nbsp;inflate the amount of funds he raised&nbsp;to meet financial bench marks necessary to receive financial assistance from the national committee&nbsp;to meet the committee's goals. 
 Santos’ attorney Joseph Murray did not respond to a call seeking comment. 
 The 10 new felony charges against Santos complicate his already perilous legal situation, including his ability to broker a plea deal. And political opponents are expected to seize on the new allegations. Before the new charges were made public, former congressman Tom Suozzi, a Democrat who previously held the seat representing parts of Nassau County and a portion of Queens, announced Tuesday that he would seek election, citing Santos’ legal troubles. 
 Santos, 35, of Washington, D.C., was arrested in May on charges that he&nbsp;orchestrated a series of schemes while running for Congress, including ripping off political donors, fraudulently receiving unemployment benefits authorized under COVID-19 and lying on his congressional financial disclosure forms. 
 The Republican lawmaker, who remains free on a $500,000 unsecured bond, pleaded not guilty to&nbsp;seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives as part of the alleged schemes that prosecutors said began in 2020. 
 In the new crimes alleged, prosecutors said Santos and Marks “conspired with one another to devise and execute a fraudulent scheme to obtain money for the campaign by submitting materially false reports to the FEC on behalf of the campaign, in which they inflated the campaign’s fundraising numbers for the purpose of misleading the FEC, a national party committee, and the public.” 
 Santos and Marks embarked on the scheme, prosecutors said, because they needed to demonstrate that his campaign had raised at least $250,000 from third-party contributors in a single quarter. 
 Santos and Marks “agreed to falsely report to the FEC that at least 10 family members of Santos and Marks had made significant financial contributions to the campaign” even though that was not the case, prosecutors said. The pair also falsely reported to the FEC that Santos had lent the campaign money, including a $500,000 loan, at a time when Santos had less than $8,000 in his personal and business bank accounts, prosecutors said. 
 Santos also allegedly stole from his own supporters, prosecutors said. 
 From between approximately December 2021 and August 2022, Santos “devised and executed” a scheme in which he allegedly charged the credit cards of his campaign contributors, sometimes repeatedly, without their authorization. The money was transferred to Santos’ campaign, the campaigns of other elected officials and to his own bank account, prosecutors said. 
 In an attempt to cover up his activity and circumvent campaign contribution limits, prosecutors said, he represented that some of the campaign contributions were made by his relatives and associates. 
 In one instance, according to prosecutors, Santos attempted to make at least $44,800 in charges on an unnamed contributor’s credit card without their knowledge or consent after the contributor texted Santos about donating to his campaign in December 2021. The contributor provided billing information for two credit cards. 
 In one instance, Santos charged $12,000 to the contributor’s credit card and ultimately transferred “the vast majority” of the funds into his personal bank account.&nbsp; 
 Santos came into Congress this year amid scandal after The New York Times reported he had lied or embellished much of his personal and professional background.&nbsp; 
 Santos admitted some mistruths but has resisted calls to resign. Santos has said he's running for reelection.&nbsp; 
 With Laura Figueroa Hernandez

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Rep. George Santos facing new charges he stole campaign donors' IDs, made unauthorized credit card charges, prosecutors allege

Santos stole campaign donors' IDs, made unauthorized credit card charges, prosecutors allege in superseding indictment

George Santos

WASHINGTON — Democrat Tom Suozzi announced Tuesday he will run to reclaim his House seat in the 3rd Congressional District in Nassau and Queens counties, putting him in a crowded field seeking to replace Republican Rep. George Santos. 
 Suozzi enters a race in which 20 candidates have already filed to run, including eight Democrats and nine Republicans, and that&nbsp;promises to be a major focus of both parties in the race to win the majority of the House in the 2024 election. 
 “Today I’m filing a committee to run for Congress in November 2024,” Suozzi posted on social media, including X, formerly known as Twitter, and Facebook. 
 “You know me. I’ve never sat on the sidelines,” he said. “From the cost of living, to immigration, crime, climate change, and simply helping people, we need more common sense and less chaos and senseless fighting.” 
 Suozzi said he will hold a formal campaign kickoff after the local New York elections on Nov. 7. 
 By announcing now, Suozzi puts himself in a position to seek the nomination for a special election should Santos (R-Nassau/Queens) enter a plea deal to a federal 13-count indictment in his Oct. 27 court date. Santos has said he is not negotiating a plea deal. 
 If Santos steps down before July 1, Gov. Kathy Hochul has 10 days to call for a special election, which must be held between&nbsp;70 days and 80 days after the announcement, according to New York State election law. Democratic and Republican leaders will choose their party's candidates for the special election.&nbsp; 
 Suozzi, 61, of Glen Cove served from 2017 to 2022. He&nbsp;declined to run for reelection and instead launched an unsuccessful campaign for the Democratic nomination for governor last year. 
 He left an open seat that Santos won in an upset during a red wave across New York in the 2022 election. 
 Since leaving Congress, Suozzi has worked as a co-chair of the global consulting firm Actum. 
 Suozzi will run in a differently configured district than the one he won three times, one that could be redrawn again early next year. 
 His rivals for the Democratic nomination already are attacking him for opening the door for a Santos victory by not running for reelection to Congress in 2022. 
 Suozzi&nbsp;will face several Democrats who already have raised more than $300,000 and likely will report raising more in the past three months to the FEC next week. They include former State Sen. Anna Kaplan and professional fundraiser Zak Malamed. 
 Businessman and Democratic National Committeeman Robert Zimmerman, the Democrats’ nominee who lost to Santos in 2022, has been mentioned as a possible candidate as well. 
 Jay Jacobs, Democratic chairman of the Nassau County and New York State Democratic committees, did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday. 
 Joseph Cairo, the Republican Party chairman in Nassau County, said he’s not surprised Suozzi is running again. “Tom is Tom,” Cairo&nbsp;said. “He's got more name recognition than some other Democrats but I think people want to look forward. Tom is in the past.”

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Tom Suozzi announces challenge to Rep. George Santos

Suozzi announces challenge to Santos

Former Rep. Thomas Suozzi says he will challenge Rep. George Santos to reclaim his old congressional seat.

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Nicole Fuller and Laura Figueroa Hernandez

Long Island congressman George Santos is having discussions with federal prosecutors about “possible paths forward” in his wire fraud and money laundering case, which could indicate a possible plea deal is on the horizon, new court documents show. 
 The statement&nbsp;came in a letter from prosecutors requesting Santos’ next status conference in the case — scheduled for Thursday — be rescheduled for Oct. 27, a request the judge approved. 
 Prosecutors said they intended to hand over more evidence to Santos’ defense attorney, who has indicated he would need additional time to examine the discovery. Prosecutors last month provided the defense with more than&nbsp;80,000 pages of evidence and said they plan to provide “another substantial production” of documents this week. 
 “Further, the parties have continued to discuss possible paths forward in this matter,” prosecutors said in the letter. “The parties wish to have additional time to continue those discussions.&quot; 
 Reached by phone on Tuesday, Santos, 35, told Newsday he would not comment on an ongoing legal matter. 
 Asked if he was negotiating a plea agreement, Santos said he would not comment on the question &quot;because it's speculative&quot; and said the change for his next court date was due in part to prosecutors releasing more evidence to his lawyer for review. 
 &quot;Read the letter — they're giving us more discovery. Obviously, we need more time to look at the discovery … that's all it comes down to,&quot; Santos said. 
 Earlier in the day, Santos posted on the social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, &quot;Word of the day: Speculation&nbsp;Meaning:&nbsp;The forming of a theory or conjecture without firm evidence.&quot; 
 Santos’ attorney, Joseph Murray, did not respond to a message seeking comment. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to comment. 
 Santos is accused of orchestrating a series of schemes while running for Congress, including ripping off political donors, fraudulently receiving unemployment benefits authorized under COVID-19 even though he had a job and lying on his congressional financial disclosure forms. 
 The Republican lawmaker, whose entry into Congress was marked by scandal after he admitted lying about various parts of his resume and background, represents New York's 3rd Congressional District, which includes parts of Nassau and Queens. 
 He pleaded not guilty to seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds&nbsp;and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives as part of schemes prosecutors said began in 2020. 
 Santos, who is&nbsp;free on a $500,000 unsecured bond, faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on the top counts if convicted and the potential forfeiture of his assets.&nbsp; 
 The request for a delay in the Santos case came as the pending criminal case against the congressman’s indicted ex-fundraiser was also delayed. 
 Samuel Miele, who is charged with four counts of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection with allegations that he impersonated a “high-level Congressional staffer” to solicit donations on behalf of Santos and enrich himself through commissions he earned, was supposed to appear in court for a status conference Tuesday. 
 Federal prosecutors, in a letter to U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert in Central Islip (who is separately presiding over the prosecutions of both Santos and Miele), used clear language in their letter to the judge regarding Miele’s case, asking for a delay until Oct. 6 “to accommodate the defendant’s ongoing discovery review and facilitate plea discussions.” 
 Miele, 27, of&nbsp;Green Village,&nbsp;New Jersey, pleaded not guilty at an arraignment last month before Magistrate Judge Sanket Bulsara and was released on a $150,000 bond. 
 Miele’s attorney did not respond to a message seeking comment. 
 Jody Kass Finkel of Concerned Citizens of NY-03, a nonpartisan group formed to oust Santos from Congress, called on prosecutors to force Santos to resign as part of any potential plea deal in the case. 
 “We firmly believe that Santos belongs in prison, but what is most important is that our constitutional right to representation be restored as quickly as possible,” she said in a statement. “ We are seeking his ouster and call for any plea arrangement to include his immediate resignation.

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Rep. George Santos discussing 'possible paths forward' in criminal case, signaling potential plea talks, court papers show

Santos discussing 'possible paths forward' in criminal case, court papers say

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WASHINGTON — Rep. George Santos admitted Friday&nbsp;he has not filed a financial disclosure report that was due on Sunday, but he asserted&nbsp;he had a “30-day grace period’ to file — which actually is the amount of time before he would face a fine. 
 In an appearance on the Fox 5 New York show “Good Day New York,” co-host Rosanna Scotto asked Santos (R-Nassau-Queens) why he refused to file the legally required report after getting a 90-day extension from the May 15 deadline to Aug. 13. 
 “I didn't refuse,” Santos said. “So, I still have a 30-day grace period according to House rules.” 
 “So, it's not it's not over?” Scotto asked. 
 “No, it's not over,” Santos said. “So, once your deadline comes, you still have a 30-day grace period, which we will be filing within that grace period.” 
 Brett Kappel, a campaign finance and ethics attorney, called it, “charitable to call it a ‘grace period.’ In reality, he isn’t subject to a fine until 30 days after he fails to file.” 
 The House Ethics Committee, which oversees financial disclosures reports required by the Ethics in Government Act passed in 1978, states on its website: “An individual who files a report more than 30 days after it is due must pay a late filing fee of $200.” 
 And the financial disclosure statute adds: “Please note that while a late filing fee will not be assessed until the 31st day after the original due date or extension deadline, the report is still considered late.” 
 Santos already faces two charges of making false statements on the financial disclosure reports he filed in 2020 and 2022 in the 13-count indictment that federal prosecutors filed in May. Each violation carries up to a five-year sentence and fines. 
 Federal prosecutors and ethics committee&nbsp;investigators will scrutinize the financial disclosure he does submit — if he actually files. 
 “He’s somewhat between a rock and a hard place,” said Stanley Brand, an attorney specializing in ethics and campaign finance law and a former general counsel to the U.S. House. 
 “He can file and hope they are accurate,” Brand said. 
 Or he could choose not to file, Brand said, “and rely on [a] defense that given the indictment he’s not in a position to file.” 
 But&nbsp;Brand noted that failure to file could subject Santos&nbsp;to at least civil enforcement penalties.

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George Santos admits he didn't file financial disclosure; says he has 'grace period'

Santos admits he didn't file financial disclosure

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Grant Parpan

An ex-fundraiser for embattled Rep. George Santos has been indicted in federal court in Brooklyn on charges alleging he impersonated a “high-level Congressional staffer” to solicit donations on behalf of Santos and enrich himself through commissions he earned, court records show. 
 Samuel Miele, who is charged with four counts of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection with the alleged scheme, had previously been the subject of a House ethics complaint alleging he posed as the chief of staff for then-Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to solicit donations on behalf of Santos, according to a copy of the ethics complaint filed in February by liberal political action committee End Citizens United. 
 Miele, 27, of&nbsp;Green Village,&nbsp;New Jersey, pleaded not guilty at an arraignment Wednesday before Magistrate Judge Sanket Bulsara, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. He was released on a $150,000 bond. 
 His attorney, Kevin Marino of Chatham, New Jersey, said his client denies the charges. 
 “Mr. Miele is not guilty of these charges,” Marino said in an email to Newsday. “He looks forward to complete vindication at trial as soon as possible.” 
 The indictment unsealed Wednesday identifies four emails Miele allegedly sent to four separate Santos campaign contributors between Aug. 19 and Oct. 22, 2021. 
 Miele earned a 15% commission on&nbsp;the donations raised, according to the indictment. 
 In total, the indictment states Miele contacted more than a dozen potential contributors using the fake identity, with funds he received from the four individuals being sent through an intermediary service to the Santos campaign bank account in Suffolk County. 
 On Sept. 26, 2021, Miele&nbsp;allegedly sent Santos an&nbsp;email admitting to &quot;faking my identity to a big donor,” according to the indictment. 
 “High risk, high reward in everything I do,” Miele allegedly wrote in the email, according to court papers. 
 The indictment does not name the congressional staffer impersonated in the emails but does state that he did not give Miele or the Santos campaign permission to use his identity for fundraising purposes. 
 McCarthy's press staff did not respond to a Newsday query about the indictment. 
 The New York Times previously reported that Miele was fired by the Santos campaign after the scheme was exposed. The Times report stated that Miele was paid $43,000 from the Santos campaign and an additional $10,000 from a political action committee. 
 Court records show the case is being prosecuted by the same team overseeing the case against Santos, who was indicted in May on federal charges alleging he orchestrated a&nbsp;series of schemes while running for&nbsp;Congress,&nbsp;including ripping off political donors, fraudulently receiving unemployment benefits&nbsp;authorized under COVID-19 even though he had a job, and lying on his congressional&nbsp;financial disclosure forms.&nbsp; 
 Santos, reached by phone shortly after the indictment was posted, told Newsday he had no comment because he and his attorney had not yet seen the indictment documents. 
 Santos said he had not spoken to Miele &quot;in months, almost a year.&quot; 
 Santos, a Republican who represents New York's 3rd Congressional District, which includes parts of Nassau and Queens, has denied his own charges, which include seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives as part of schemes prosecutors said began in 2020. 
 Santos, who took office in January, faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on the top counts if convicted and the potential forfeiture of his assets.&nbsp; 
 Prosecutors described the Miele and Santos cases as “distinct” but arising “out of overlapping events,” in a letter to the court. The letter notes that both alleged schemes are related to Santos’ 2022 campaign and might be considered by the court to be related cases. 
 Miele is due back in court Aug. 22. 
 With Laura Figueroa Hernandez&nbsp;and Tom Brune

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George Santos' former fundraiser indicted on impersonation, fraud charges

Ex-fundraiser for Rep. George Santos indicted

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A federal judge on Wednesday granted a request from indicted Long Island congressman George Santos&nbsp;to travel more freely around the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area as he awaits trial on his wire fraud and money laundering case. 
 Santos (R-Nassau/Queens), who pleaded not guilty in May to a 13-count indictment, is free on a $500,000 bond, but had been&nbsp;restricted from traveling beyond the confines of New York and Washington, D.C., and the route between the two places without permission from the court. 
 Santos’ Great Neck-based attorney, in a letter filed Wednesday to U.S. Magistrate Anne Y. Shields, asked the judge to extend the geographical area by a 30-mile radius in which Santos can “freely move about without providing prior notice” to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the federal Office of Probation and Pretrial Services.&nbsp; 
 “In light of the small geographical area of the District of Columbia, there is a frequent need to travel outside the District of Columbia for usual and customary functions of someone who lives and works in the District of Columbia, such as dining, shopping, meetings, events, and even use of the local airports,” Murray wrote. “This has resulted in unnecessary notifications which can easily be remedied by extending the geographical area in which my client can freely move about without providing prior notice, to include a thirty-mile radius around the District of Columbia.” 
 Shields, in a brief order Wednesday, granted the request. Prosecutors and pretrial services did not object, the order said.&nbsp; 
 Reached by telephone Wednesday before the judge ruled, Murray said: “I’m not gonna discuss his personal business;&nbsp;the letter speaks for itself.” 
 Santos did not respond to a message seeking comment. 
 Santos is accused of orchestrating a series of schemes while running for Congress, including ripping off political donors, fraudulently receiving unemployment benefits authorized during the COVID-19 pandemic even though he had a job, and lying on his congressional financial disclosure forms. 
 The Republican, who represents New York's 3rd Congressional District, which includes parts of Nassau and Queens, is charged with seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds&nbsp;and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives as part of schemes prosecutors said began in 2020. 
 The first-term congressman, who has been mired in controversy since it was revealed soon after his election that he lied about his resume, schooling and various aspects of his life, faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on the top counts if convicted and the potential forfeiture of his assets. 
 Santos has refused calls to resign from some constituents, Republican members of the Long Island House delegation and leaders of the Nassau Republican Party. GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has said he will support another Republican for the seat in 2024. 
 But Santos has said he is running for reelection. 
 With Laura Figueroa Hernandez

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Rep. George Santos granted request to move more freely around Washington, D.C., court documents show

Judge loosens restrictions on George Santos' travel

WASHINGTON — Three Democrats find themselves in a fundraising race in the seat held by indicted Republican Rep. George Santos, while his fellow Long Island congressmen continued to build their war chests with help from other politicians and political action committees, according to campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission. 
 Those are among the highlights of congressional fundraising reports for the three-month period of April through June this year, which falls early in the two-year campaign cycle, with a New York primary on June 25, 2024, and a general election on Nov. 5, 2024. 
 The reports show the precarious position of Santos (R-Nassau/Queens), who faces a 13-count indictment alleging he ripped off political donors while running for Congress, fraudulently received unemployment benefits authorized under the COVID-19 emergency and lied on his congressional financial disclosure forms. Santos has pleaded not guilty to the charges. 
 Most of the funds raised by Santos' Democratic challengers in the Third District come from individuals, which is common for candidates who are not in office and seeking the party’s nomination. 
 Former two-term state Sen. Anna Kaplan of Great Neck, campaign fundraiser and The Next 50 co-founder Zak Malamed of Great Neck and Nassau County Legis. Josh Lafazan (D-Woodbury) have taken an early fundraising lead in the pack of seven Democrats in the race. 
 Kaplan reported raising $455,061 — including her $190,000 loan to her campaign — and had $389,840 in cash on hand. Malamed said he raised $417,946 and had $322,102 in the bank. Lafazan’s filing shows he raised $202,290 and had $381,613 in cash. 
 Republican Kellen Curry, a military veteran who worked in finance, reported raising $200,725 and having $164,881 in the bank. 
 In an amended filing Friday evening, Santos said his Devolder-Santos for Congress campaign committee raised $162,032 in the second quarter of 2023, instead of $133,079 as he first reported. The form also clarified that the $85,000 he paid himself was for a personal loan he made to the campaign. 
 His challengers in the money race aim not only to win next year’s primary election but also to show party leaders they could successfully compete in a special election if Santos resigns or the House forces him out and the parties choose the Democrat and Republican candidates. 
 Nassau Republicans have called for Santos' resignation, and GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he will back another Republican in 2024. 
 And Jay Jacobs, chairman of the Nassau County and New York State Democratic committees, said: “There's just a great appetite among Democrats and independents who are anxious to see somebody throw out George Santos and take that seat.&quot; 
 Meanwhile, the other Republicans representing Long Island — first-term Reps. Nick LaLota of Amityville and Anthony D’Esposito of Island Park and second-term Rep. Andrew Garbarino of Bayport — all reported having more than $800,000 in cash on hand at the end of June. 
 Ed Cox, chairman of the New York State Republican Committee, said the three face a tougher challenge in 2024 because they will not benefit from the red wave created by the gubernatorial run of former Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin of Shirley. 
 “They are running hard and they have to run hard, because a presidential year is going to be different than a year when Zeldin, who is from Long Island, did very well on Long Island at the top of the ticket,” Cox said. 
 In the First District, LaLota raised $447,555 — about 38% of that from politicians’ committees and PACs — and had $819,444 in cash. No other candidate reported raising money. 
 In the Second District, Garbarino said he raised $616,823 and increased his cash on hand to $992,872. Nearly 40%&nbsp;of it came from politicians and PACs. Democrat Rob Lubin, a small-business owner from Amityville, reported he had $349,742 in contributions — almost all from individuals — and had $331,813 in the bank. 
 In the Fourth District, D’Esposito said he raised $592,453, down from his first quarter of $674,521, but enough to allow him to stow $931,456 in the bank for what he acknowledges could be a tough reelection bid in a Democratic-leaning district. Nearly 36%&nbsp;of D’Esposito’s funds come from politicians’ committees and PACS. 
 Of the five Democrats who have filed to run in the Fourth District race, only two reported raising any funds — Sarah Hughes, who won an Olympic Gold Medal in figure skating in 2002, and former Town of Hempstead Supervisor Laura Gillen, who lost to D’Esposito in the 2022 election. 
 Hughes reported raising $108,751 and having $104,961 in cash on hand. Gillen said she raised $373,336 and had $340,031 in the bank. 
 Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), who is running for reelection next year, reported that she raised $826,138 and has nearly $7.5 million in cash on hand. 
 Gillibrand’s closest rival is independent candidate Diane Sare of Sloatsburg, who raised $84,415. Last year, Sare unsuccessfully ran as a LaRouche candidate against Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).

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Rep. George Santos the only Long Island congressman without a fundraising edge

Rep. Santos trails in LI congressional fundraising

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WASHINGTON – Rep. George Santos raised nearly $150,000&nbsp;in campaign funds in the second quarter of this year&nbsp;— most of it&nbsp;from out-of-state donors&nbsp;—&nbsp;and used $85,000 of it to pay himself back for a campaign loan, according to&nbsp;campaign&nbsp;finance reports&nbsp;filed Friday with the Federal Election Commission. 
 Santos (R-Nassau/Queens) reported in his filing for the Devolder Santos for Congress Committee that he still owes himself $530,000 in campaign loans from his&nbsp;victory over Democrat Robert Zimmerman in the November general election in the Third Congressional District. 
 In a separate filing, Santos reported that his&nbsp;Devolder Santos Victory Committee raised $16,600. 
 A Republican challenger to Santos, military veteran Kellen Curry, raised $210,725 from his campaign committee and a political action committee run by a defense contractor, according to a filing Friday with the FEC. 
 None of the seven Democrats who have filed to challenge Santos in the race&nbsp;had&nbsp;submitted a campaign finance report on Friday ahead of the Saturday deadline for filing second-quarter reports. 
 The money Santos&nbsp;raised&nbsp;came less than two weeks after federal prosecutors filed a 13-count&nbsp;indictment against him,&nbsp;alleging he&nbsp;ripped&nbsp;off political donors while running for Congress, fraudulently received&nbsp;unemployment benefits authorized under COVID-19 and lied on his congressional financial disclosure forms. Santos&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/crime/george-santos-indictment-arrest-long-island-o4iugv5k">pleaded not guilty</a> to the charges. 
 A majority of the named donors to the Devolder Santos for Congress Committee made their contributions through the Republican&nbsp;internet donation platform WinRed, the filing showed. 
 Most of the donations were for the maximum of $3,300 per election, the filing reported, and began arriving on May 20, the day Santos <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/politics/george-santos-campaign-treasurer-f98kbdwd">hired Jason Boles</a>, the campaign treasurer for Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, to be his campaign treasurer. 
 Brett Kappel, an attorney at Harmon Curran, a Washington, D.C., law firm,&nbsp;said&nbsp;the U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District of New York likely will take a look at how Santos raised the money, particularly the large&nbsp;donations that came from students, part-time&nbsp;cashiers and others, &quot;and why so many of them maxed out to him via WinRed.&quot; 
 &quot;Ordinary people don’t usually give away $3,300 without meeting the candidate,” Kappel said. 
 Santos did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 
 The filing gave a mixed message on who made the loan and who was repaid. 
 The detailed summary page listed it as a loan made by someone other than the candidate. But the later itemized entry listed Santos as the lender, using his own personal funds. 
 Boles, Santos’ new treasurer, did not respond to questions about the contradiction. 
 But on the filing, he included a note in the filing for Santos main campaign committee that said he made his best efforts to report accurately but warned that the historical data provided to him “is incomplete.” 
 Santos' filings don't show any direct spending on his re-election campaign.&nbsp; 
 He&nbsp;reported having $55,276 in his campaign fund after paying his treasurer $3,500;&nbsp;Dallas-based Cobra Legal Solutions $2,314;&nbsp;a reimbursement to a donor;&nbsp;WinRed fees;&nbsp;and flights to Washington, where he paid for dining and hotels. 
 Santos' campaign finance report for the <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/politics/rep-george-santos-campaign-finance-report-ka81yo23">first quarter</a>&nbsp;showed his&nbsp;net contributions equaled a&nbsp;loss of $3,019. He raised a total of $5,333&nbsp;in the first three months of the year&nbsp;but&nbsp;refunded four contributors a total of $8,352. 
 Two other Long Island congressmen —&nbsp;Republican Reps. Nick LaLota of Amityville and&nbsp;Anthony D'Esposito of Island Park — had not filed second-quarter reports as of Friday. 
 Second-term Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport) reported raising $616,283, spending $212,140 and having $992,872 in cash on hand.

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Rep. George Santos used most of his latest campaign haul to pay himself back

George Santos used most of his latest campaign haul to pay himself back

Federal prosecutors have turned over more than 80,000 pages of evidence to the defense attorney for Rep. George Santos, who was indicted in May on&nbsp;wire fraud and money laundering charges, a prosecutor said Friday as Santos made a brief appearance in the Central Islip courthouse.&nbsp; 
 It was Santos' first time back in court after he pleaded not guilty to a 13-count indictment, alleging he&nbsp;orchestrated a series of schemes while running for Congress, including ripping off political donors, fraudulently receiving unemployment benefits authorized under COVID-19 and lying on his congressional financial disclosure forms. 
 The freshman congressman, who remains free on a $500,000 unsecured bond, pleaded not guilty to&nbsp;seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives as part of the alleged schemes that prosecutors said began in 2020. 
 Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Harris told the judge during a noon status conference that lasted fewer than five minutes that prosecutors had provided Santos' lawyer with the documents earlier this week as part of the discovery process. 
 Harris said the government has &quot;more to send over&quot; to the defense. He did not describe the contents of the documents.&nbsp; 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-attr-f="3x2" data-attr-q="0.3" data-attr-w="400" data-onecms-id="contentid/M2U1Y2JhY2UtOTc5NC00" data-onecms-type="image" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/M2U1Y2JhY2UtOTc5NC00', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/M2U1Y2JhY2UtOTc5NC00"><img src="/image-service/alias/contentid/M2U1Y2JhY2UtOTc5NC00/USSANTOS2307022219.jpg?f=3x2&amp;w=400&amp;q=0.3" /></a> 
 Santos' attorney, Joseph Murray, said the co-signers of his client's bond — his father and aunt — are still guaranteeing Santos' bond.&nbsp; 
 &quot;They have not withdrawn,&quot; said Murray, who had fought unsuccessfully to keep their names secret.&nbsp; 
 Neither Murray nor the prosecutor divulged whether they've discussed a possible plea agreement, but Murray told the judge: &quot;I have a wonderful working relationship with Mr. Harris and his team.&quot;&nbsp; 
 The defense attorney asked for an earlier date when the court proposed holding the next status conference in mid-September, saying that&nbsp;Sept. 14&nbsp;is the first day that Congress reconvenes after its August recess and his client needs to be there to perform &quot;his constitutional duties.&quot; 
 Santos (R-Nassau/Queens), in a gray blazer, appeared relaxed as he entered the courtroom Friday — about five minutes before the noon status conference began.&nbsp; 
 &quot;Hi, how are you?&quot; Santos was heard saying to Harris, shaking the prosecutor's hand.&nbsp; 
 U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert set a date of&nbsp;Sept. 7&nbsp;for Santos to return to court. 
 As he left the courtroom and got into an elevator, Santos was accompanied by members of the U.S. Marshals Service, who provide courthouse security.&nbsp;He didn't speak to reporters.&nbsp; 
 Santos came into Congress this year amid scandal after The New York Times reported he had lied or embellished much of his personal and professional background.&nbsp; 
 Santos admitted some mistruths but has resisted calls to resign. Santos has said he's running for reelection.&nbsp; 
 About 15 people, including those from the nonpartisan group Concerned Citizens of NY-03, which formed after Santos became engulfed in scandal over his myriad fabrications, demonstrated outside the courthouse with signs that read &quot;fraud be gone&quot; and &quot;shame.&quot;&nbsp; 
 Jody Kass Finkel, a retired lobbyist from Great Neck who founded the group, said she'd be &quot;OK with&quot; Santos receiving a plea deal if it stipulated his &quot;immediate resignation&quot; from Congress.&nbsp; 
 &quot;He's dragging all of us through the sewer with him,&quot; said Finkel. 
 Santos’ latest court appearance followed a legal battle between the news media and Santos’ attorney on whether the bond guarantors’ identities should be made public.&nbsp; 
 Last week, Seybert ordered the identities revealed. The documents identified&nbsp;the co-signers as Gercino dos Santos, the defendant's father, and Elma Preven, his aunt, ending a more than monthlong mystery into who guaranteed the Republican lawmaker's unsecured bond. 
 News organizations, including Newsday, asked the judge to unseal the identities, citing the right of public access to court proceedings. The news media, as well as the House Committee on Ethics, had also questioned whether the co-signers were lobbyists or others possibly seeking to improperly influence the congressman.

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Prosecutors have given Rep. George Santos' defense attorney more than 80,000 pages of evidence in fraud, money laundering case, feds say

Prosecutors say they've turned over 80,000-plus pages of evidence in Santos' criminal case

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Federal prosecutors have turned over more than 80,000 pages of evidence to Rep. George Santos&#39; legal team. NewsdayTV&#39;s Cecilia Dowd reports.&nbsp;

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U.S. Rep. George Santos appears in federal court for the first time since pleading not guilty in May 

Central Islip

Nassau

Suffolk

Rep. Santos appears in federal court

Robert Brodsky

The father and aunt of indicted Rep. George Santos, who backed the congressman's&nbsp;$500,000 bond&nbsp;in his money laundering and wire fraud case, do not own any property and were not required to post collateral to satisfy the congressman’s pretrial release, according to a transcript released Friday of a May 15 bond hearing in Central Islip. 
 But the 15-page document, released by federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York, indicates that Gercino dos Santos, the congressman’s father, and Elma&nbsp;Preven, his aunt, would bear personal financial liability, including damage to their credit rating and the ability to get a mortgage, if he violated the terms of the bond. 
 “There’s a danger if he doesn't comply with any of the conditions of bond,” Magistrate Anne Shields told the family members during the hearing. “First of all, it's a danger to him. He will and can be incarcerated. But more importantly for you two, you’re signing a bond that makes you two financially responsible. So it's not just about feeling badly about it.” 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-onecms-id="contentid/YzRhMzBkZTgtZmQ0NS00" data-onecms-type="storywidget" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/YzRhMzBkZTgtZmQ0NS00', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/YzRhMzBkZTgtZmQ0NS00">STORYWIDGET: Read the Santos court transcript </a> 
 Santos (R-Nassau/Queens) pleaded not guilty in May to seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives. 
 The first-term congressman allegedly orchestrated a series of schemes while running for Congress, including ripping off political donors, fraudulently receiving unemployment benefits authorized under COVID-19 even though he had a job, and lying on his congressional financial disclosure forms, according to federal prosecutors.&nbsp; 
 Santos was released on the&nbsp;$500,000 unsecured bond at his May 10 arraignment in federal court in Central Islip. 
 At the time, the identities of the suretors were sealed by the court at the request of Joseph Murray, Santos’ defense attorney, who argued that they would face harassment if their names were made public. 
 News organizations, including Newsday, asked the judge to unseal the identities, citing the right of public access to court proceedings. Members of the media, along with the House Committee on Ethics, had questioned whether the co-signers were lobbyists or others possibly seeking to improperly influence the congressman.&nbsp; 
 But U.S.&nbsp;District Court Judge Joanna Seybert directed the&nbsp;names to be released. 
 In an order that was unsealed Thursday, Seybert wrote&nbsp;that Santos’ “continued attempts to shield the identity of his Suretors, notwithstanding the fact that he is aware their identities are not controversial, has simply created hysteria over what is, in actuality, a nonissue,&quot; 
 In a statement Thursday, Santos said &quot;my family and I have made peace with the judge’s decision to release their names. Now I pray that the judge is correct and no harm comes to them. I look forward to continuing this process and I ask for the media to not disturb or harass my dad and aunt for the sakes [sic] of cheap reporting.&quot; 
 In the bond transcript, Santos' father described the relationship with his son as &quot;cordial&quot; and said he sees him once every month and a half. Preven said she has a &quot;good relationship&quot; with her nephew, &quot;even though I don't speak with him on a regular basis.&quot; 
 Dos Santos could not be reached Thursday. Preven did not respond to a message seeking comment. 
 Shields&nbsp;encouraged Dos Santos and Preven to check in periodically with the congressman to ensure he is following the agreement. 
 &quot;It's not always about money,&quot; Shields said. &quot;It's about how well you know someone, whether you can exercise a certain amount of control or moral control over the person so that they understand what you are doing for them.&quot; 
 Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Bagnuola&nbsp;added that &quot;since you're putting your own financial situation and your own reputation at stake, it's important for you to hear from me our goal is not to trick him or to trap him, or to lure him somewhere so that we can get him into trouble.&quot; 
 Santos, who won the 2022 election for New York's 3rd&nbsp;Congressional District covering parts of Nassau and Queens,&nbsp;took office in January under a cloud of scandal. 
 He admitted lying about many aspects of his personal and professional history after The New York Times reported there were no records of him working for financial institutions where he claimed to have been employed or attending the colleges he had claimed to have graduated from.&nbsp; 
 Santos is due back in court in Central Islip on June 30.

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Rep. George Santos' father and aunt don't own property and were not required to post collateral, bond hearing transcripts show

Santos' relatives who guaranteed bail weren't required to post collateral, unsealed transcripts show

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Indicted Rep. George Santos'&nbsp;father and aunt backed the congressman's&nbsp;$500,000 bond&nbsp;in his money laundering and wire fraud case, according to court documents made public Thursday.&nbsp; 
 The documents identify the co-signers as Gercino dos Santos, the defendant's father, and Elma&nbsp;Preven, his aunt, ending a more than monthlong mystery into who guaranteed the Republican lawmakers' unsecured bond.&nbsp; 
 U.S.&nbsp;District Court Judge Joanna Seybert ordered the identities of the co-signers for Santos' bond&nbsp;released by noon Thursday despite pleas from Santos' lawyer to keep their identities secret.&nbsp; 
 “My family and I have made peace with the judge’s decision to release their names,&quot; Santos said Thursday in a statement to Newsday. &quot;Now I pray that the judge is correct and no harm comes to them. I look forward to continuing this process and I ask for the media to not disturb or harass my dad and aunt for the sakes [sic] of cheap reporting. If the press needs comments, they know where and how to find me.&quot;&nbsp; 
 Dos Santos could not be reached Thursday. Preven did not respond to a message seeking comment.&nbsp; 
 The first-term&nbsp;congressman pleaded not guilty in May to seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives. 
 Santos allegedly orchestrated a series of schemes while running for Congress, including ripping off political donors, fraudulently receiving unemployment benefits authorized under COVID-19 even though he had a job, and lying on his congressional financial disclosure forms, according to federal prosecutors.&nbsp; 
 Santos was released on the&nbsp;$500,000 unsecured bond backed by his co-signers at his May 10 arraignment in federal court in Central Islip, but their identities were sealed by the court on the request of Santos' lawyer. The co-signers are not required to pay any money initially&nbsp;and would only have financial liability if Santos violated the bond terms,&nbsp;according to the agreement.&nbsp; 
 News organizations, including Newsday, asked the judge to unseal the identities, citing the right of public access to court proceedings. The news media, as well as the House Committee on Ethics, had also questioned whether the co-signers were lobbyists or others possibly seeking to improperly influence the congressman.&nbsp; 
 Federal prosecutors took no position on the issue.&nbsp; 
 Santos' attorney Joseph Murray urged the judge to deny the request, arguing that the bond backers would face harassment if their names were public. Murray said one of the co-signers&nbsp;withdrew&nbsp;after the “media frenzy” surrounding the indictment. 
 Murray, who revealed&nbsp;then that the co-signers were family members without being specific,&nbsp;said his client would rather be jailed than have the names released. Murray, who could not be reached for comment Thursday, also suggested a possible comprise, saying the judge could release the familial relationships, but not the names.&nbsp; 
 But Seybert&nbsp;ruled the&nbsp;names would be released, writing in an order Tuesday that was unsealed Thursday:&nbsp;&quot;Indeed, it appears Defendant’s continued attempts to shield the identity of his Suretors, notwithstanding the fact that he is aware their identities are not controversial, has simply created hysteria over what is, in actuality, a nonissue. In sum, given the facts and circumstances of this case, disclosure of the family-member Suretors’ identities is necessary to quell the speculations surrounding the granting of Defendant’s release bond, thereby outweighing the speculative privacy concerns raised by Defendant.&quot; 
 The release order, unsealed by the judge Thursday, listed the names of dos Santos and Preven&nbsp;as the co-signers for the unsecured bond, but their addresses were redacted. Four full pages of the six-page document were also redacted. 
 Santos, who won the 2022 election for New York's Third Congressional District covering parts of Nassau and Queens,&nbsp;took office in January under a cloud of scandal. 
 Santos admitted lying about many aspects of his personal and professional history after The New York Times reported there were no records of him working for financial institutions where he claimed to have been employed or attending the colleges he had claimed to have graduated from.&nbsp; 
 Santos has announced he is seeking reelection despite calls for him to resign, including from Nassau County's Republican Party. Santos is also under investigation by the House Ethics Committee and New York State Attorney General Letitia&nbsp;James.&nbsp; 
 He's due back in federal court next Friday.&nbsp; 
 On Thursday, the House Ethics Committee issued a rare update on the panel’s ongoing investigation into Santos which was launched in March. 
 A subcommittee formed by the panel to investigate Santos “has issued over 30 subpoenas and more than 40 voluntary requests for information,” according to a joint statement released by Rep. Michael Guest (R-Miss.), the chairman of the panel, and Rep. Susan Wild (D- Pennsylvania), the ranking member. 
 The lawmakers said that after Santos’ federal indictment in May, the committee voted to expand its investigation to examine the federal “allegations that [Santos] fraudulently obtained unemployment insurance benefits.” The committee announced in March that it was looking into Santos’ 2022 campaign dealings, his financial disclosures and his conduct while in office. 
 The committee “is actively working to resolve this matter in an expeditious time frame,” the lawmakers said, adding that they would not comment further due to the panel’s confidentiality rules 
 The statement came a day after a pair of House Democrats — including Rep. Dan Goldman (D-Brooklyn) — filed a resolution urging the panel to give a progress report on the status of the investigation. 
 With Laura Figueroa Hernandez

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Rep. George Santos' father and aunt helped secure his $500,000 bail, court documents show

George Santos' father and aunt helped secure his bail, court documents show

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Laura Figueroa Hernandez

WASHINGTON — Two House Democrats filed a measure Wednesday demanding that the House Ethics Committee disclose whether Rep. George Santos has provided the panel with names of individuals who guaranteed&nbsp;his $500,000 bond. 
 The resolution, filed by Reps. Dan Goldman (D-Brooklyn) and Greg Landsman (D-Cincinnati), also calls on the ethics panel to deliver an interim report on its investigation of Santos (R-Nassau/Queens) by&nbsp;July 17. The committee launched its probe of Santos in March, saying it would focus on his financial disclosures, questions surrounding his 2022 campaign and his conduct while in office. 
 The resolution announced Wednesday&nbsp;asks the Ethics Committee to reveal whether Santos complied with the panel’s earlier request that he disclose the identities of those who co-signed his $500,000 bond in May after he was indicted by federal prosecutors on 13-counts of fraud, money laundering and theft of public funds. 
 Goldman in a statement said Santos’ “potential refusal to comply with the House Ethics request raises the prospect that an admitted and indicted fraudster may be receiving benefits from mystery actors with unknown motives.” 
 U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert ruled Tuesday that the names of Santos’ bail suretors must be made public on Thursday. 
 Last month, Santos’ attorney Joe Murray objected to providing the names to the panel, according to a copy of his letter to the Ethics Committee Murray made public in federal court filings. Murray argued the bail guarantors were family members and not subject to the House’s reporting requirements for gifts and loans. 
 Santos, in a text message&nbsp;to Newsday Wednesday, accused Goldman of “trying to weaponize his position in congress to interfere with the non partisan investigation&quot; by the Ethics Committee. 
 “This should be of concern to all members of this body, and to the American people” Santos said. “My legal team has complied with all the requests made from the ethics committee and will continue to do so.” 
 A spokesperson for Rep. Michael Guest (R-Mississippi), chairman of the House Ethics Committee, referred all questions to the panel’s chief counsel Tom Rust, who did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. The Ethics Committee must approve Goldman's and Landsman's resolution before it can be&nbsp;scheduled for a floor vote in the Republican-controlled&nbsp;House. 
 In her ruling, Seybert&nbsp;gave Santos the option to “modify the conditions of his release, should the Suretors seek to withdraw from serving as suretors.” 
 Murray indicated previously in court filings that one of three initial suretors withdrew their support after the “media frenzy” surrounding the indictment. 
 In court filings, Murray has objected to making the names public, arguing that doing so would subject the individuals to “hateful attacks.”

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Democrats press ethics panel on George Santos bail guarantors

Democrats press ethics panel on Santos bail guarantors

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The names of the family members of indicted Long Island Rep. George Santos who agreed to co-sign his $500,000 bond in his money laundering and wire fraud case will be made public Thursday, a federal judge has ruled.&nbsp; 
 &quot;All previously sealed documents, including the bond, are to be unsealed to the extent that the names of [Santos'] suretors are to be disclosed,&quot; U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert said in a Tuesday order. The judge's decision comes in response to an appeal by Santos' lawyer after a successful legal push by more than a dozen news outlets, including Newsday, for the names of those who co-signed Santos's bond to be unsealed. 
 The names of bond co-signers are part of the public record in criminal cases. But Santos' attorney, Joseph Murray, sought to seal the records. 
 After news organizations challenged that initial ruling, Murray said his client would rather be incarcerated pretrial than reveal the names of two family members who agreed to co-sign his bond. Murray had also argued the co-signers would face harassment. 
 Murray could not be reached for comment Tuesday. 
 But Seybert sided with the media's push for transparency and established precedent that proceedings in the nation's court systems are generally public. Federal prosecutors remained neutral on the issue.&nbsp; 
 Seybert said the bond documents will be kept sealed until noon Thursday in order to give Santos time to &quot;modify the conditions of his release, should the Suretors seek to withdraw from serving as suretors.&quot; 
 If that were to occur, Santos would have to find new bond co-signers. If he were unable to, Santos' bond would be revoked and he would be taken into federal custody. 
 The first-term Republican congressman pleaded not guilty in May to seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives. 
 Santos, who separately admitted lying about his education and other aspects of his background, allegedly orchestrated a series of schemes while running for Congress, including ripping off political donors, fraudulently receiving unemployment benefits authorized under COVID-19 even though he had a job, and lying on his congressional financial disclosure forms. 
 Santos pleaded not guilty to the charges and is scheduled to appear back in federal court in Central Islip on June 30. 
 Investigations into Santos began after The New York Times revealed he had lied about much of his work history and background. Santos, who represents New York’s 3rd Congressional District, which&nbsp;includes parts of Nassau and Queens, has repeatedly refused calls to resign.

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Rep. George Santos must reveal names of relatives who helped secure his $500,000 bail, judge rules

Names of relatives who helped secure George Santos' bail must be revealed, federal judge rules

Family members of indicted congressman George Santos guaranteed his $500,000 bail in his wire fraud and money laundering case, it was revealed Friday in Santos' appeal of&nbsp;a judge’s ruling to make public the names of the&nbsp;guarantors.&nbsp; 
 In an appeal filed Friday morning, Santos’ attorney, Joseph Murray, attacked federal Magistrate Judge Anne Y. Shields’ order unsealing the identities, in which the judge sided with news agencies, including Newsday.&nbsp; 
 &quot;Defendant has essentially publicly revealed that the suretors are family members and not lobbyists, donors or others seeking to exert influence over the Defendant, contrary to Judge Shields' assertion that, '[t]here is no way to quell such speculation and foster confidence in the judicial process but to reveal the identities of the Suretors,' &quot; Murray wrote in his appeal, citing a letter he&nbsp;wrote to the House Ethics Committee after it inquired about the identities of the suretors.&nbsp; 
 Murray, who argued the guarantors&nbsp;would be subject to &quot;attacks and harassment&quot; if their names were revealed, offered what he called &quot;a more palatable remedy that satisfies the interests of both sides&quot; to provide the bond documents, but with the names redacted. Murray said family members are exempt from the prohibitions on gifts to members of Congress.&nbsp; 
 &quot;To the extent that it may be possible to unredact a portion of the sealed judicial bond records or proceedings to reveal the existence of a “family” relationship between Defendant and suretors without identifying the name or type of family member, Defendant would have no objection,&quot; Murray wrote.&nbsp; 
 Lawyers for Newsday and other news agencies have argued the names of the guarantors&nbsp;are public records. The government has taken no position on the issue.&nbsp; 
 The appeal on the identity issue in now in front of U.S. District Court Judge&nbsp;Joanna Seybert, who is presiding over Santos' criminal case and is expected to make a ruling on Santos' motion. 
 Murray also argued the suretors serve &quot;a vital law enforcement and judicial function&quot; as the &quot;first line of enforcement&quot; in monitoring the whereabouts of defendants and said that ability would be imperiled if their identities were revealed. Already, Murray said, a third suretor dropped out of the case due to media attention.&nbsp; 
 &quot;The resulting media frenzy, greatly contributed to our third prospective suretor having a change of heart and withdrawing,&quot; said Murray. &quot;There is great concern for the health, safety, and well-being of our two suretors, which sadly, was not shared by Judge Shields, at least as a factor of their privacy concerns.&quot; 
 The Republican first-term congressman&nbsp;allegedly orchestrated a series of schemes while running for Congress, including ripping off political donors, fraudulently receiving unemployment benefits authorized under COVID-19 even though he had a job, and lying on his congressional financial disclosure forms, prosecutors said.&nbsp; 
 Santos, who was already under fire for admittedly lying about much of his resume and personal details, pleaded not guilty at his May 10 arraignment in federal court in Central Islip to seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives as part of schemes prosecutors said began in 2020. 
 Santos&nbsp;(R-Nassau/Queens) faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on the top counts if convicted and the potential forfeiture of his assets.&nbsp; 
 Santos has ignored calls to resign and has announced he is seeking reelection. 
 Murray, in his appeal, said Santos has been the subject of &quot;hateful attacks&quot; that have been&nbsp;&quot;extremely&nbsp;angry, anti-gay, anti-Republican and all around anti-social&quot; and shed light on how the government helped Santos avoid reporters outside the courthouse before he was arraigned.&nbsp; 
 &quot;On the morning of May 10, 2023, as the media began to amass outside of the Courthouse, I received a call from AUSA Harris who kindly offered the services of our FBI case agents to arrange for an alternative means for my client to enter the Courthouse,&quot; Murray wrote. &quot;Even the government recognizes the unique and potentially dangerous/harassing environment that Defendant has been subjected to in that the government was so kind to offer assistance for Defendant entering the courthouse on May 10, 2023, by avoiding the mass of media that had appeared at the courthouse. 
 Murray continued: &quot;It is reasonable to conclude that if Defendant’s suretors are identified, that the attacks and harassment will commence against them too. Moreover, given the political temperature in this Country and acts of political violence that occur, the privacy interests of these suretors are far more concerning, especially considering their ages and respective employment.&quot;&nbsp;

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Rep. George Santos' family members helped bail him out, court filings show

Relatives secured George Santos' bail, court papers reveal

A federal judge&nbsp;on Tuesday ordered the identities of the people who secured indicted congressman George Santos’ release from federal custody on $500,000 bond to be made public, but delayed the release of the names in case Santos wants&nbsp;to appeal. 
 U.S. Magistrate Judge Anne Y. Shields issued the order a day after Santos’ attorney pleaded with the judge to keep the names sealed, saying Santos would rather be imprisoned than have the identities of the people who put up the bond for him revealed. 
 Santos' lawyer also cited&nbsp;the potential for the co-signers to “suffer great distress” and lose their jobs or be the victims of violence. 
 Shields’ order, which also is sealed, came in response to requests from more than a dozen media organizations — including Newsday — to make the information public. Bond information is usually part of the public record in criminal proceedings, but Santos’ attorney, Joseph Murray, had requested the names of the co-signers be withheld. The judge’s Tuesday order reverses her previous ruling. 
 Santos (R-Nassau/Queens) has until noon on Friday to appeal. 
 Murray had said of Santos in his Monday letter: &quot;My client would rather surrender to pretrial detainment than subject these suretors to what will inevitably come.&quot; 
 Murray could not be reached for comment Tuesday. His voicemail was full and he did not respond to a text message seeking comment. 
 Federal prosecutors have alleged that Santos orchestrated a series of schemes while running for Congress, including ripping off political donors, fraudulently receiving unemployment benefits authorized under COVID-19 even though he had a job, and lying on his congressional financial disclosure forms. 
 Santos pleaded not guilty on May 10 in federal court in Central Islip to seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives as part of schemes prosecutors said began in 2020. 
 Santos faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on the top counts if convicted, and the potential forfeiture of his assets.&nbsp; 
 Santos, 34, a first-term congressman who has announced he is running for reelection despite calls for him to resign, has been mired in controversy since it emerged that he lied about various parts of his background. Santos had claimed to have worked at Goldman Sachs, been a volleyball star at Baruch College and said he was &quot;Jew-ish&quot; as he ran for Congress.&nbsp; 
 Santos later admitted lying about parts of his resume, but said it would not deter him from being an effective congressman. The House Ethics Committee is also investigating Santos.&nbsp; 
 Santos is due back in&nbsp;federal court June 30.

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Federal judge orders identities of Rep. George Santos' bail guarantors released

Judge orders identities of George Santos' bail guarantors released

Rep. George Santos (R-Nassau/Queens) is contesting a legal challenge from nearly a dozen media outlets seeking the identities of the individuals who secured a bond to free him following his arrest for wire fraud and money laundering last month, arguing that the names should be kept confidential to ensure their safety. 
 Attorney Joseph Murray filed a letter Monday, saying “the suretors&nbsp;are likely to suffer great distress, may lose their jobs, and God forbid, may suffer physical injury,” 
 “There is little doubt that the suretors will suffer some unnecessary form of retaliation if their identities and employment are revealed,” Murray wrote to U.S.&nbsp;Magistrate Judge Anne Shields. 
 The letter followed a deadline Shields&nbsp;gave Santos to respond to motions filed May 23 by The New York Times and two days later from a consortium of media outlets, including Newsday. 
 At his May 10 arraignment, prosecutors said the first-term congressman from Queens had three people willing to sign the $500,000 bond for his release, but only one was available that day. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Harris told Shields&nbsp;that, as of Santos’ arraignment, prosecutors knew the identity of two of the individuals&nbsp;and they were willing to give him until the end of the following week to produce the signatures of all three.&nbsp; 
 In his letter Monday, Murray said the third person&nbsp;dropped out after witnessing the “media frenzy” around the embattled congressman’s indictment. 
 “As the media frenzy progressively got worse our suretors grew very fearful and concerned,” Murray wrote. 
 Murray included several exhibits to support his argument showing alleged threats against the congressman. He also included a letter from the House Ethics Committee also seeking to learn their identities. 
 A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York told Newsday May 18 that Santos’ bond proceeding was held under seal and no public records were available to identify the suretors. 
 The U.S. Attorney’s Office took no position on the media motions in a letter filed Friday. 
 The charges against Santos allege he orchestrated a series of schemes while running for Congress, including ripping off political donors, fraudulently receiving unemployment benefits authorized under COVID-19 even though he had a job and lying on his congressional financial disclosure forms. 
 The Republican who represents New York's 3rd Congressional District, which includes parts of Nassau and Queens, is charged with seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives as part of schemes prosecutors said began in 2020. Santos faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on the top counts if convicted and the potential forfeiture of his assets.&nbsp;

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George Santos trying to keep identity of people who bailed him out secret, court filing shows

George Santos trying to shield identity of people who bailed him out, court papers show

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WASHINGTON — Rep. George Santos&nbsp;informed the Federal Election Commission on Saturday that he has hired Georgia&nbsp;Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s campaign treasurer as the treasurer for his own campaign finance committees.&nbsp; 
 Santos (R-Nassau/Queens)&nbsp;identified his new treasurer as Jason D. Boles, a partner in RTA Strategies of Alpharetta, Georgia, who has worked for years with Greene, known for promoting conspiracy theories and her support for former President Donald Trump.&nbsp; 
 Boles will replace Santos’ current treasurer, Andrew Olson, whose failure to respond to queries or messages prompted a watchdog group to file a complaint on May 10 with the FEC alleging that Olson does not exist. 
 Santos tweeted about his change of treasurers Saturday. 
 “On Friday, May 19, I was properly notified by my campaign’s then Treasurer, Mr. Andrew Olson, of his resignation. I appreciate the work Andrew and his team have done for the campaign and appreciate his willingness to ensure a smooth transition,” Santos tweeted Saturday.&nbsp; 
 Santos filed a notice Friday with the FEC saying he would be his own campaign treasurer, followed by the FEC notice about Boles on Saturday. Boles did not respond to Newsday queries Saturday. 
 It’s the latest twist for Santos, who has admitted fabricating his education, work history and Jewish heritage, and faces a House Ethics Committee probe that could force him out of Congress and a 13-count federal indictment that could land him in prison. 
 Santos has pleaded not guilty, vowed to fight the charges, rejected demands that he resign and filed papers with the FEC to run for reelection. He did not respond to a text. 
 His campaign finance filings for the several committees he formed for his two campaigns for Congress have become the basis for parts of the indictment, the Ethics Committee investigation and complaints filed by House members and watchdog groups. 
 In January, Santos’ longtime treasurer, Nancy Marks of Campaigns Unlimited in Shirley, resigned amid questions about the accuracy of the FEC filings for Santos’ seven committees. Santos named Thomas Datwyler as his new treasurer, but Datwyler declined the job. 
 Santos then filed forms naming Olson as his treasurer. Olson’s address on&nbsp;Queens Boulevard in Elmhurst&nbsp;matched the residence of Santos’ sister, Tiffany Lee Devolder Santos. 
 But after her landlord evicted her and she entered into a settlement for unpaid rent, Santos' campaign committee changed Olson’s address to a post office box in Washington, D.C. 
 The change of treasurers from Olson to Boles came a little more than a week after the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW, filed a complaint asking the FEC to investigate whether Olson actually exists. 
 “Given his struggles with the truth, much about Rep. Santos remains a mystery, but there’s no bigger mystery than his treasurer,” CREW president Noah Bookbinder said in a statement when he filed the complaint. 
 “No one can seem to find Andrew Olson. If he does not exist, it would be an extreme abuse of our campaign finance system — one the FEC should not permit,” Bookbinder said. 
 Meanwhile, Dickinson Wright, the law firm assisting Santos in matters before the FEC, has dropped him as a client, The Washington Post reported Saturday, based on people familiar with the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the matter’s sensitivity. 
 The law firm did not immediately respond to a Newsday query.

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George Santos hires Marjorie Taylor Greene's campaign treasurer

Santos hires Greene's campaign treasurer

USSANTOS230521_photos

WASHINGTON — A top aide in&nbsp;Rep. George Santos’ congressional office has resigned, telling the embattled lawmaker she was “honored” to quit working for him. 
 Communications Director Naysa Woomer, in a resignation letter obtained by Scripps News, wrote: “With respect for my colleagues, the people of New York, and most importantly, myself, I am honored to tender my resignation.” 
 Woomer, one of the first staff members hired to join Santos on Capitol Hill in January, wrote on Wednesday: “Unfortunately, you never took one point of professional advice given.” 
 The resignation came after conservative outlet O’Keefe Media Group released an audio recording in which Woomer called&nbsp;Santos “not a good person” as she spoke about his recent indictment on 13 federal felony charges. Santos has pleaded not guilty to charges such as defrauding campaign donors and receiving COVID-19 unemployment benefits while still working. 
 Woomer on the audio is heard responding to questions about Santos, saying&nbsp;“I actually hope he does” get removed from Congress. 
 Woomer, who worked previously on Capitol Hill and in the administration of former Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, did not respond to a message seeking comment. 
 Santos’ press secretary Gabrielle Lipsky confirmed Woomer's&nbsp;resignation, saying Woomer had “served this office and the constituents of New York’s Third Congressional District for the past five months.&quot; 
 Lipsky continued in a statement: “We appreciate and thank her for her diligent service and wish her nothing but the best.” 
 The audio of Woomer&nbsp;was released on social media Wednesday, just as Santos faced an effort by House Democrats to force a vote on a resolution to expel him from Congress. The effort was squashed after House Republicans voted to refer the expulsion measure to the House Ethics Committee, which has been investigating Santos since March. 
 The other Long Island House members — Republican Reps. Anthony D’Esposito, Andrew Garbarino, and Nick LaLota&nbsp;— all voted to refer the measure to the bipartisan ethics panel, saying expulsion recommendations should come from the ethics panel after an investigation. 
 House Democrats called the referral a stalling tactic aimed at helping House Speaker Kevin McCarthy preserve his narrow five-member majority. 
 Some Democrats also raised concerns that Garbarino and the four other Republicans who sit on the Ethics Committee voted for the referral, while the five Democrats on the committee voted “present” to emphasize their neutrality. 
 “I do think it’s important for us to maintain total neutrality on matters that are going to come before us,” Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pa.), the ranking Democrat on the committee, told Punchbowl News. 
 Garbarino, who for months has cited his position on the panel in refusing to comment about Santos,&nbsp;said after Wednesday’s vote: “The Ethics Committee is best positioned to investigate this matter. I’m reserving all other judgment until the investigation is complete.” 
 Garbarino spokeswoman Kristen Cianci said Thursday in an email that Garbarino, “and the other Members of the Ethics Committee who voted yes are not inherently weighing in or breaking neutrality.” 
 Cianci said Garbarino's yes&nbsp;vote was &quot;simply saying that he believes the Committee is best positioned to investigate this matter.” 
 Also Thursday, Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), who introduced the expulsion measure this week, wrote to McCarthy&nbsp;demanding a “clear public timeline of when we may expect” a report from the ethics committee. 
 Garcia noted that an expulsion resolution he sponsored in February already had been referred to the committee. 
 “I hope that you will clarify the timeline by which we can expect the Ethics Committee to ‘move rapidly’ so that the House can take a transparent vote on whether Mr. Santos deserves to continue to serve as a member of this body,” Garcia wrote. Garcia was referring to McCarthy’s comments to reporters that he would push the panel to work swiftly. 
 McCarthy’s office did not immediately comment on Garcia's letter, although on Wednesday McCarthy said the ethics panel would not delay its&nbsp;investigation if the U.S. Department of Justice were to make such a request. 
 Typically the ethics committee has deferred to the U.S. Department of Justice when both are investigating the same lawmaker. But Rep. David Joyce (R-Ohio), who is leading the committee’s Santos investigation, said Thursday the committee had notified authorities it would not delay its&nbsp;investigation. 
 “What we’re saying is, certainly the criminal case that DOJ wants to look at — feel free to continue that process, but ethical issues that deserve to be reviewed here in the House Ethics Committee is what we’re going to do,” Joyce told NBC News. 
 Asked how long the Santos probe might take, Joyce said “investigations take time,” but&nbsp;that he had “no sense” of when the probe will conclude. 
 LaLota in a statement Wednesday he expected results from the ethics panel &quot;within 60 days.&quot;

George Santos' top press aide, Naysa Woomer, resigns, saying she's "honored" to quit

Top Santos staffer resigns, saying she's 'honored' to quit working for him

Complete coverage: George Santos scandal

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