George Santos Aide Indicted For Impersonating Senior McCarthy Staffer In Fundraising Scheme

Samuel Miele, an aide who worked on Rep. George Santos’s (R-NY) campaign for Congress has been indicted by the Department of Justice for impersonating Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) deputy chief of staff to solicit donations.

Miele was arraigned on Wednesday in a New York City where he pled not guilty to wire fraud and identity theft. McCarthy has said that Miele was responsible for the deceptive fundraising appeals and that Santos fired him after learning of the scheme, according to the New York Times.

Miele reportedly received a 15% commission on donations successfully obtained through this method.

Santos himself faces 13 federal charges, including for wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds, and making false statements to the House of Representatives, of which he is a member.

At the time of Santos’s indictment, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York issued a statement asserting that “Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself.”

“He used political contributions to line his pockets, unlawfully applied for unemployment benefits that should have gone to New Yorkers who had lost their jobs due to the pandemic, and lied to the House of Representatives,” he continued.

Prosecutors have advised the court that the cases against Miele and Santos are related, per the Times.

Even before the Department of Justice decided to pursue charges, Santos faced pressure to resign for the multitude of lies he told during his campaign about everything from the death of his mother to his purportedly impressive volleyball career.

Santos has responded to such calls defiantly, even comparing himself to civil rights icon Rosa Parks.

“They come for me, I go right back for them, because I think for far too long they’ve gotten away with getting along to get along,” said Santos in July. “Rosa Parks didn’t sit in the back and neither am I gonna sit in the back.”