U.S. Rep. George Santos leaves the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Latest York in Central Islip, Latest York, May 10, 2023.
Barry Williams | Latest York Day by day News | Getty Images
The key identities of Republican Rep. George Santos’ bail backers in his federal criminal case are set to be revealed Thursday at noon ET.
Santos, the scandal-plagued freshman congressman from Latest York, was arrested last month and charged with quite a few crimes including money laundering and wire fraud. After pleading not guilty to all 13 counts against him, Santos was released on a $500,000 bond backed by multiple guarantors, whose names were kept hidden from the general public.
The Latest York Times asked U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert to unseal the records identifying those people, who’re known as suretors in court documents.
The Times argued that the law supported the general public’s right to view the records, adding that the “interest in openness is especially strong on this case” since the situation presented “an obvious opportunity for political influence.”
“That risk is further heightened by the indisputable fact that the very crimes Rep. Santos has been charged with involve abusing the political process for private gain,” the Times noted.
A consortium of reports outlets, including NBC News, followed suit, arguing, “Rep. Santos cannot overcome the presumption of openness” afforded by the First Amendment and federal common law.
Santos’ attorney, Joseph Murray, urged the court to disclaim those requests, pointing to the “media frenzy” that was swirling across the case.
That intense press coverage has made the suretors “very fearful and anxious,” even prompting certainly one of the three to back out by the morning of Santos’ May 10 arraignment, Murray wrote. The lawyer argued the guarantors will likely “suffer great distress” and face retaliation if their names are made public.
“My client would fairly give up to pretrial detainment than subject these suretors to what’s going to inevitably come,” he added.
A federal magistrate judge sided with the news outlets but gave Santos time to appeal. His lawyer then asked Seybert if it might be possible to seek out a compromise, comparable to disclosing that the suretors were Santos’ relations without identifying them specifically.
However the judge ordered Tuesday evening that “all previously sealed documents, including the Bond, are to be unsealed to the extent that the names of Defendant’s Suretors are to be disclosed.”
The judge noted that Santos can move to change the conditions of his bail if his remaining guarantors determine to back out.
Santos, 34, is accused of defrauding his campaign supporters, lying to acquire unemployment money in the course of the coronavirus pandemic and making false statements on his congressional disclosure forms.
He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the highest charges against him, in response to the Justice Department.
Santos, who took office under a cloud of scandal in January, is the Republican Party’s first openly gay representative elected to Congress. He has vowed to not resign and is in search of reelection in 2024.
Disclosure: NBC News and CNBC are a part of NBCUniversal.
That is developing news. Please check back for updates.
