The father and aunt of accused Rep. George Santos, who supported the congressman’s $500,000 bond in his money laundering and wire fraud case, own no property and were not required to post bond to satisfy the release prior to the congress, according to a published transcript. Friday of the May 15 bond hearing in Central Islip.
But the 15-page document, released by federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York, indicates that Gercino dos Santos, the congressman’s father, and Elma Preven, his aunt, would take personal financial responsibility, including damage to his credit rating and the ability to obtain a mortgage, if you breached the terms of the bond.
“There is danger if he does not comply with any of the bail conditions,” Magistrate Anne Shields told relatives during the hearing. “First of all, it’s a danger to him. He will and may be jailed. But more importantly for the two of you, you are signing a bond that will make you financially responsible. So it’s not just about feeling bad about it.”
Santos (R-Nassau-Queens) pleaded not guilty in May to 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.
WHAT TO KNOW
The father and aunt of the accused deputy George Santos, who supported the congressman’s $500,000 bail in his money laundering and wire fraud case, owns no property, an unsealed court document reveals.
Gercino dos Santos, father of the congressmanand Elma Preven, his aunt, were not required to post bond to satisfy the congressman’s provisional release, the document shows.
Federal Magistrate Anne Shields cheered Dos Santos and Preven regularly communicate with the deputy to make sure he is following the bail agreement.
The first-term congressman allegedly orchestrated a series of schemes while running for Congress, including defrauding political donors, fraudulently receiving authorized COVID-19 unemployment benefits even though he was employed, and lying on his disclosure forms finance of Congress, according to the federal. fiscal
Santos was released on $500,000 unsecured bail at his May 10 arraignment in Central Islip federal court.
The underwriters’ identities were then sealed by the court at the request of Joseph Murray, Santos’ defense lawyer, who argued they would face harassment if their names were made public.
News organizations, including Newsday, asked the judge to unseal the identities, citing the right of public access to court proceedings. Members of the media, along with the House Ethics Committee, had questioned whether the co-signatories were lobbyists or others possibly trying to improperly influence the congressman.
But U.S. District Court Judge Joanna Seybert directed the names to be released.
In an order released Thursday, Seybert wrote that “Santos’ continued attempts to protect the identity of his Suretors, despite the fact that he is aware that their identities are not in dispute, have simply created hysteria about what, in actually, it’s not a problem.”
In a statement Thursday, Santos said that “my family and I have made peace with the judge’s decision to release their names. Now I pray that the judge is right and no harm comes to them. I hope to continue this process and I request the media not to harass or harass my father and aunt for the sake of it [sic] of cheap reports”.
In the bond transcript, Santos’ father described the relationship with his son as “cordial” and said he sees him once every month and a half. Preven said he has a “good relationship” with his nephew, “even though I don’t talk to him on a regular basis.”
Dos Santos could not be reached Thursday. Preven did not respond to a message seeking comment.
Shields encouraged Dos Santos and Preven to check in regularly with the deputy to make sure he is following the agreement.
“It’s not always about the money,” Shields said. “It’s about how well you know someone, whether you can exercise some control or moral control over the person so that they understand what you’re doing for them.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Bagnuola added that “because you’re putting your own financial situation and your own reputation on the line, it’s important that you hear from me, our goal is not to deceive him or to trap him , or lure him somewhere because we can get him in trouble.”
Santos, who won the 2022 election for New York’s Third Congressional District that covers parts of Nassau and Queens, took office in January under a cloud of scandal.
He admitted to lying about many aspects of his personal and professional history after The New York Times reported that there were no records of him working for financial institutions where he claimed to have been employed or attending universities where he had graduated.
Santos is due back in court in Central Islip on June 30.
Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked for Newsday since 2011. He is an alumnus of Queens College and American University.
