Samuel Miele — a former campaign fundraiser for Rep. George Santos — was indicted in New York and charged with four counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft for allegedly impersonating a top aide to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
According to CNBC, Miele "is accused of pretending to be McCarthy's aide in order to get campaign donations for Santos from more than a dozen potential contributors, while also enriching himself via 15% commissions on each donation." Per their reporting, he allegedly made this subterfuge known to Santos in September of 2022 via a letter in which he admitted to faking his identity to "a big donor," adding that he was "high risk, high reward in everything I do."
His lawyer, Kevin Marino, issued a quote to the outlet saying, "Mr. Miele is not guilty of these charges," and that he "looks forward to complete vindication at trial as soon as possible." Miele pleaded not guilty during his arraignment and was released on $150,000 bail. This comes only a few months after Santos himself was charged for wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements.
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