Rep. George Santos was not keen to talk to reporters yesterday after a judge ruled that the three people who paid his bail money be named.
Santos, the scandal-hit Republican Rep. for New York District 3, was indicted last month on 13 charges. These include seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives.
Santos pleaded not guilty to all charges and is due to appear in court again on June 30. He was released after paying a bond of $500,000. Almost immediately, speculation began as to who helped him come up with the bail money.
Several media outlets asked for the names to be unsealed. This prompted Santos’ lawyer, Joseph Murray, to file a letter with the judge to keep the names under seal.
Murray argued that if revealed, the individuals “are likely to suffer great distress, may lose their jobs, and God forbid, may suffer physical injury.”
He went on to say Santos “would rather surrender to pre-trial detainment than subject these suretors to what will inevitably come” if they’re named.
Yesterday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Anne Shields permitted the names to be unsealed. However, she has given Santos until Friday to appeal the decision. The names will remain sealed until he potentially files an appeal.
The Hill reports that Santos declined to comment when reached in the Capitol yesterday. Asked why it was so important the names are kept private, he offered a terse, “because it is.”
