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Lawyer says Rep. George Santos would go to jail to keep identities of bond cosigners secret

by Chloe Baker
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Rep. George Santos' bond cosigners

On Monday, Rep. George Santos’ legal representative indicated that the accused New York Republican is willing to face jail time to secure the confidentiality of the individuals who cosigned the $500,000 bond for his pretrial release.

Attorney Joseph Murray urged the judge to reject news media’s appeal to disclose the names of Santos’ bond guarantors, warning that they might experience “significant distress”, including potential job losses and physical danger, if they’re publicly identified.

“In order to shield these guarantors from the inevitable consequences, my client is ready to submit himself to pretrial incarceration,” Murray stated in a letter to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anne Shields.

In case she decides to disclose their identities, Murray requested that she allows them enough time to withdraw as cosigners, which Shields had previously excluded from the public court record upon the attorney’s plea.

Murray reported that he, Santos, and Santos’ staff have been the target of menacing and disturbing calls and messages, including death threats. A recent call demanding to know who had financed Santos’ bail left the attorney fearful that Santos’ detractors are on the lookout to target the people responsible for his release.

Murray penned, “We are genuinely worried about their health, safety, and overall welfare.”

On May 10, Santos denied the 13-count indictment charges of deceiving donors, embezzling from his campaign, lying to Congress about his wealth, and fraudulently claiming unemployment benefits. He is scheduled to reappear in court on June 30.

The 34-year-old representative of portions of Queens and Long Island has resisted calls for his resignation and pledged not to withdraw his re-election campaign.

The prosecutors have yet to express their stance on the unsealing request.

Last week, a legal representative for the news media urged the judge to disclose the names of Santos’ bond guarantors, stressing a “compelling public interest in ensuring maximum transparency in this case.”

On May 23, The New York Times first approached Shields asking for the unsealing of the names, with other news organizations, such as The Big Big News, joining the demand a few days later.

In a separate event, on May 16, the House Ethics Committee asked Santos to reveal the identities of his bond cosigners.

Murray stated that Santos initially had three financially stable cosigners acting as guarantors, but one withdrew while the other two were absent at his arraignment.

This compelled them to make “alternative confidential provisions” to secure Santos’ release, Murray elaborated.

Santos’ bond is unsecured, meaning the cosigners didn’t have to deposit any funds upfront, but could be liable to pay the total sum if he breaches his release conditions or fails to attend court.

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To follow Michael Sisak on Twitter, visit twitter.com/mikesisak. For confidential tips, please visit https://www.ap.org/tips/.

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