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Santos’ lawyer asked a federal judge not to release the names of the people backing Santos’ bond.
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His lawyer said the guarantors are relatives, “not lobbyists, donors or others seeking to exert influence.”
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Santos’ lawyer says family members would likely abandon Santos if their names are made public.
A lawyer for George Santos said on Friday that the people backing the indicted representative’s $500,000 bond are family members that he fears would bail on him if their names are publicly released, according to court documents obtained by Insider.
In a court filing in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York, attorney Joseph Murray asked District Court Judge Joanna Seybert to block the names of Santos’ guarantors from being released.
Judge Anne Shields — who is overseeing the criminal case against Santos — had said on Tuesday that she planned to reveal the guarantors’ identities but gave Santos until Friday to appeal.
“Defendant has essentially publicly revealed that the sureties are family members and not lobbyists, donors or others seeking to exert influence over the defendant,” Murray wrote in the letter to Seybert asking her to step in and block Shield’s ruling.
Murray said that if the names are released, Santos fears that they will drop out of backing his bond, meaning the GOP lawmaker would have to report to jail.
Murray said that Santos and his staff have faced a “media frenzy and hateful attacks” since Santos was indicted.
“It is reasonable to conclude that if Defendant’s suretors are identified, that the attacks and harassment will commence against them too,” Murray said. “Moreover, given the political temperature in this Country and acts of political violence that occur, the privacy interests of these suretors are far more concerning, especially considering their ages and respective employment.”
Murray added that Santos already saw one potential bond guarantor drop out in May as the “media frenzy” around the case “progressively got worse.”
He said the guarantors “grew very fearful and concerned.”
“As of the morning of May 10, 2023, we only had two confirmed suretors, while our third suretor had a change of heart and backed out,” Murray said.
Insider is among a coalition of news organizations seeking the names of the bond suretors.
Murray and the US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York did not immediately respond to Insider’s requests for comment.
A grand jury indicted Santos in May on 13 criminal charges, including fraud, money laundering, and theft. He pleaded not guilty and was released on a $500,000 bond.
Prosecutors allege that Santos spent campaign donations on personal expenses and collected unemployment while collecting a six-figure salary.
Read the original article on Business Insider
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