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The
indictment, filed in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, said
Samuel Miele created an email account bearing the name of
"Person #1," identified as "a high-ranking aide to a member of
the House with leadership responsibilities."
House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy has confirmed
media reports alleging that Miele impersonated one of his top
aides to elicit contributions to Santos's campaign.
Miele reached out to over a dozen contributors through the email
account and phone calls, the indictment said, receiving a
commission of 15% of the contributions he solicited to Santos'
campaign.
Miele could not be immediately reached for comment.
According to the indictment, Miele admitted to Santos in August
2021 that he faked his identity "to a big donor," adding "that
he was 'high risk, high reward in everything I do.'"
Santos' and McCarthy's offices did not immediately respond to
requests for comment.
Santos has admitted to lying about his resume during his
campaign, and has faced calls from within his own party to step
down. He was indicted in May on federal charges including fraud,
money laundering and theft of public funds. He has denied
wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty.
The indictment itself did not name Santos, referring instead to
"Candidate #1," but a letter from federal prosecutors to the
court said the two cases may be considered "presumptively
related."
(Reporting by Moira Warburton in Washington; editing by Andy
Sullivan)
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