Former Campaign Fundraiser Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud
Washington — A former campaign fundraiser for New York Republican Rep. George Santos pleaded guilty on Tuesday to one count of wire fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York.
Samuel Miele — who served as a fundraiser for the Republican's campaign during the 2020 and 2022 election cycles, according to court documents — also stipulated to committing access device fraud that totaled about $100,000 in losses when he appeared in federal court.
Miele was charged earlier this year after allegations surfaced that he had impersonated a high-ranking congressional aide while soliciting contributions for Santos' campaign. The original indictment charged him with four counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft in an alleged fraud scheme.
The person Miele allegedly impersonated during the 2022 election cycle — labeled "Person #1" in the indictment — is believed to be the chief of staff to former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, according to previous reports from CNBC, The New York Times and others.
However, in taking a plea deal on Tuesday, Miele admitted only that he had committed wire fraud, not identity theft. He previously pleaded not guilty to both.
Charging documents filed in August alleged that Miele engaged in fraudulent activities by soliciting campaign funds for Santos' campaign under false pretenses.
Miele, who was previously associated with Santos' campaign, is the second individual to plead guilty to charges brought by prosecutors. Last month, the former campaign treasurer admitted to conspiracy to defraud, confessing that she had falsely reported hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans that Santos claimed to have made to his campaign.
Santos, who was indicted by a federal grand jury in May, faces multiple charges including wire fraud, money laundering, making false statements to the House of Representatives, and theft of public funds.
Despite the charges, Santos has pleaded not guilty and consistently maintained his innocence.
Attorneys representing Miele did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
