Santos’ Former Fundraiser Receives Year Sentence

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y.—A former campaign fundraiser for a discredited New York politician was sentenced on Friday to one year and one day in prison. Sam Miele was found guilty of impersonating a high-ranking congressional aide while soliciting funds for former U.S. Representative George Santos.

Miele addressed the federal court, expressing remorse for his actions and apologizing to those he disappointed, including family and friends. “What I did was wrong. Plain and simple,” Miele confessed, promising to avoid future criminal conduct. When questioned by Judge Joanna Seybert about his motives, considering his privileged background, Miele simply replied that he was a “different person” at the time. “It was a terrible mistake,” the 28-year-old New Jersey native and St. John’s University graduate admitted.

After the hearing, Miele did not provide further comments, though his attorney described the sentence as “fair and appropriate” and said his client is eager to move on. “This is what happens when you associate with the wrong people,” said Miele’s attorney, Kevin Marino.

In 2023, Miele pleaded guilty to a single count of federal wire fraud, part of the criminal case leading to Santos’ removal from office. Miele confessed to using the identity of Dan Meyer, then-chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, to falsely claim credibility and solicit donations in 2021.

Prosecutors stated that Miele constructed a fake email address to match Meyer’s name and contacted over a dozen donors. Miele further admitted to committing access device fraud by unauthorized use of donors’ credit cards for campaign donations and personal expenses, totaling around $100,000 according to prosecutors.

Though facing more than a two-year prison term, Marino requested home confinement and community service, emphasizing Miele’s cooperation with authorities, acceptance of responsibility, and willingness to testify against Santos as factors meriting leniency. “His name is forever linked to a disgraced congressman. All he’s done is overshadowed by this,” Marino remarked.

Prosecutor Laura Zuckerwise contended that imprisonment was crucial to deter similar offenses in political fundraising. “We’re here not just because of one mistake, but multiple mistakes,” Zuckerwise noted, highlighting that one of Miele’s victims was an 85-year-old with memory issues.

Miele’s plea agreement outlined that he would repay approximately $109,000 in restitution, surrender an additional $69,000, and make a $470,000 payment to a campaign contributor. Miele was among two aides reaching plea deals in the federal investigation into Santos’ campaign.

Nancy Marks, Santos’ former campaign treasurer, also pleaded guilty to fraud conspiracy and awaits sentencing in May. Meanwhile, George Santos is scheduled for sentencing next month, following his guilty pleas to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Last August, weeks before his trial, Santos admitted to several charges, including theft of credit card information, misuse of campaign funds for personal gains such as designer clothing, fraudulent collection of unemployment benefits, and misrepresentation of his finances.

Santos, who initially garnered attention by flipping a congressional seat in a wealthy district of Queens and Long Island in 2022, saw his claims about personal wealth and background quickly debunked. His lies extended to fictitious careers at major firms, fabrication of his educational background, and false assertions about his family history.

Within a year of taking office, Santos was expelled from the U.S. House of Representatives, marking him as the sixth member ever expelled from the chamber.