George Santos campaign staffer indicted in fundraising scheme

A campaign aide who raised money for Rep. George Santos by pretending to be a high-ranking House staffer was charged with wire fraud and identity theft, according to an indictment unsealed in federal court on Wednesday.

Samuel Miele, the campaign aide, was arraigned in the Eastern District courtroom in Brooklyn and released on a $150,000 bond. He has pleaded not guilty.

While Santos is not identified in the charging document, prosecutors also submitted a letter to the court indicating that the case against Miele is related to the ongoing federal prosecution against Santos.

Santos, a Republican who represents parts of Queens and Long Island, was charged in a 13 count indictment in May with embezzling campaign funds and lying on federal financial disclosure forms. He pleaded not guilty at the time.

Miele's attorney Kevin Marino said his client “looks forward to complete vindication at trial as soon as possible.”

Santos' attorney Joseph Murray did not immediately respond to Gothamist’s request for comment.

Miele worked as a fundraiser for Santos in the 2020 and 2022 election cycles. Prosecutors allege he created a fake email address and made calls to a dozen potential donors using another person’s name, only identified in the indictment as “Person No. 1.”

The New York Times has previously reported that Miele contacted donors pretending to be a senior staffer to then-House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

For the donations Miele was able to raise, the money was transferred through an intermediary to the campaign’s bank account located in Suffolk County, where the Santos campaign had its account. Miele also received a commission of 15% of each donation when his solicitations were successful.

According to the indictment, Miele told Santos in a letter that he was "faking my identity to a big donor," but that he was "high risk, high reward in everything I do.”