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A federal judge unsealed the names of Rep. George Santos’, R-N.Y. bail guarantors Thursday — two people the congressman told Semafor are his father and aunt.
Gercino dos Santos, a House painter and District Council 9 union member, and Elma Preven, a United States postal worker, are listed as the guarantors.
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Federal Judge Joanna Seybert ordered the names of Santos’ bond guarantors to be unsealed at noon today after multiple media outlets pushed to make them public — an order Santos unsuccessfully appealed.
Santos’ lawyer, Joe Murray, wrote in a letter to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anne Shield that the suretors could “suffer great distress” if their identities were revealed and that the embattled lawmaker would go to jail before revealing them.
Santos told Semafor he and his family have “made peace” with the decision to release their names.
“Now I pray that the judge is correct and no harm comes to them,” he said. “I look forward to continuing this process and I ask for the media to not disturb or harass my dad and aunt for the sakes of cheap reporting.”
Santos pleaded not guilty to a 13-count indictment last month, which included seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, two counts of lying to Congress and a single count of theft of public funds. He’s scheduled to appear in court on June 30.