LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 18: U.S. Representative-elect George Santos (R-NY) speaks at the Republican Jewish Coalition annual leadership meeting on November 19, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The meeting comes on the heels of former President Donald Trump becoming the first candidate to declare his intention to seek the GOP nomination in the 2024 presidential race. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
On Thursday, the names of the guarantors of Rep. George Santos’s (R-New York) $500,000 bond were finally revealed: his father, Gercino dos Santos Jr., and his aunt, Elma Preven, were behind Santos’ release from federal custody in May.
Santos, who represents parts of Long Island and Queens and is currently seeking re-election, was charged with wire fraud, making unlawful transactions and theft of public funds. Prosecutors have accused him of soliciting monetary contributions to his campaign for personal expenses, wrongfully receiving upwards of $24,000 in pandemic unemployment benefits and knowingly making false statements on his House financial disclosure forms.
Santos pleaded not guilty to all charges.
When the New York representative was released on bond, questions about the guarantors began to swirl. Amid requests for disclosure about the bond agreement, Santos’ lawyer stated that his client would “risk jail” to keep his cosigners from facing public scrutiny, which he believed could involve mental and physical harm.
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According to court documents, dos Santos and Preven appeared in court last month to sign the bond. While they did not have to put up any collateral, they did agree to be “personally responsible” for making sure that Santos shows up to court and follows the conditions of his bond, which state that he can only move to and from New York and Washington D.C.
Inconsistencies in Santos’ family’s stories have already been noted. When he donated to Santos’ campaign, dos Santos claimed that he was retired. However, he stated that he was employed last month when he showed up to court.
Despite property records stating that she owns an apartment in the affluent Jackson Heights neighborhood in Queens, Preven said that she worked as a mail handler for the Postal Service when she donated to Santos’ campaign.
Santos is due back in federal court on June 30, where more evidence backing prosecutors’ claims is likely to be revealed.
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