Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., would rather go to jail than name the individuals who secured his $500,000 bond, his attorney said in a court filing.
The Republican pleaded not guilty in May to charges of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements and was released on $500,000 bond.
His suretors did not appear in court but several media outlets filed motions to release their names under First Amendment grounds.
Santos lawyer Joseph Murray in a filing on Monday objected to the release of the names and asked the judge to notify two suretors if they have to be identified so they can back out and avoid being outed.
"If this Court is so inclined to unseal the sureties, we truly fear for their health, safety and well being," he wrote. "My client would rather surrender to pretrial detainment than subject these suretors to what will inevitably come."
Santos is charged with fraudulently collecting pandemic unemployment funds while running an investment firm, campaign finance fraud, and false statements to Congress about his assets and income.
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"The public interest in openness is particularly strong in this case. The surety records relate to three individuals who have committed large sums of money to ensure that Rep. Santos can remain at liberty, pending further proceedings," Dana Green, the senior counsel for the New York Times, said in a filing. "This presents an obvious opportunity for political influence, given Rep. Santos's elected position and his dependence on these suretors."
Santos was caught lying about his biography after he won his 2022 race. Murray argued in the filing that his guarantors could face threats and blowback if they are outed and revealed that one of the suretors already had a change of heart after the indictment was unsealed.
"They all also expressed concern and fear of losing their jobs if they were forced to be identified," Murray wrote. "The others did not appear at the arraignment on May 10, 2023. Instead, we made other confidential arrangements with the cooperation of (Assistant U.S. Attorney) Anthony Bagnuola and the court."
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