We finally know who bailed Rep. George Santos (R-NY) out of jail—despite the beleaguered congressman claiming he’d rather go to jail than give up their names.
Court documents unsealed Thursday revealed that Santos’ father and aunt put up the $500,000 bail bond that allowed Santos to walk free after his arrest by federal authorities last month.
While only their signatures appeared on the unsealed document, a source close to the matter confirmed their names as Gercino dos Santos Jr. and Elma Santos Preven.
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Gercino, Santos’ father, lives in New York and previously worked as a house painter, according to The New York Times.
Santos’ father and aunt both donated thousands to his congressional bid, according to federal elections data. Preven’s social media accounts reflect a particular interest in Brazilian politics, as she has posted material critical of the country’s left-wing President Ignacio Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and supportive of his far-right foe and predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro. A United States Postal Service worker, she owns properties in both Queens and in Brazil.
“My family & I have made peace with the judges decision to release their names,” Santos tweeted on Thursday afternoon. “Now I pray that the judge is correct and no harm comes to them.”
Prosecutors have accused Santos of running a scheme to defraud political donors, cheating the federal government out of COVID-19 relief funds, and even faking disclosure forms during his campaign for a Long Island congressional seat. The Justice Department indicted him in May on 13 counts that include money laundering, stealing public money, wire fraud, and making false statements to Congress. Santos pleaded not guilty to all those charges, calling the case a “witch hunt.”
“I’m going to fight my battle, I’m going to deliver, I’m going to fight the witch hunt, I’m going to take care of clearing my name, and I look forward to doing that,” he told reporters massed outside the court last month.
Santos surrendered to authorities at a Long Island courthouse on May 10. His suretors—the people who bailed Santos out of jail that day—stepped in to cover his $500,000 bond, but not before Santos’ defense team moved to have their identities redacted from public court filings.
Since then, Santos and his lawyers have fought tooth and nail to keep those names out of the public eye, citing perceived threats to their physical safety and emotional well-being.
“There is little doubt that the suretors will suffer some unnecessary form of retaliation if their identities and employment are revealed,” attorney Joseph Murray wrote in a June 5 letter to Judge Anne Y. Shields. He added that Santos would rather have the parties withdraw their support and await his trial in jail “than subject these suretors to what will inevitably come.”
In that same letter, Murray claimed that one of Santos’ suretors backed out after witnessing the “media frenzy” around the case.
The identity of Santos’ mystery benefactors drew the interest not only of the news media but also the House Ethics Committee, which wants to evaluate whether receiving the bail bond breached congressional rules on receiving gifts.
Media outlets had asked Judge Shields to unseal the names of Santos’ benefactors, to which she agreed in a June 6 order. Santos immediately appealed. When that move failed this week, Judge Joanna Seybert slated the reveal for Thursday at noon.
In the unsuccessful appeal, Murray countered claims that Santos violated House ethics rules by revealing that the bail money came, at least in part, from members of Santos’ family.
The court also unsealed a protective order on Thursday that will keep discovery materials confidential, a common procedure in criminal cases.
Santos first gained notoriety when a New York Times investigation revealed that he had lied his way into office, fabricating practically his entire resume. Since then, most of his life story—from his religious background to his mother’s death to his volleyball skills—has been exposed as fraudulent.
State and local entities, as well as authorities in Brazil, have since pursued criminal probes. Democrats in Congress have pushed for his expulsion, while Republican Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy has declined to support his re-election bid.
“I think he has other things to focus on in his life than running for re-election,” McCarthy told reporters in the Capitol.
But Santos hasn’t wavered on his plans to run again for New York’s 3rd congressional district in 2024, even as his legal troubles pile up.
—With additional reporting by William Bredderman.
