A former fundraiser for U.S. Rep. George Santos pleaded responsible Tuesday to a federal fraud cost, admitting that he impersonated a high-ranking congressional aide whereas elevating marketing campaign cash for the embattled New York Republican.

Sam Milley was caught soliciting donations in late 2021 below the alias Dan Meyer, who was then chief of employees to Rep. Kevin McCarthy, when the previous Home speaker was the Republican minority chief, in line with Santos. Federal authorities haven’t but confirmed that Mayer is the aide that Milley impersonated.

Milley, who has been charged with 4 counts of wire fraud and one rely of aggravated identification theft, is scheduled to be sentenced on April 30. Milley faces greater than two years in jail, in line with sentencing tips, a spokesman for the U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace mentioned. .

He additionally admitted to committing entry system fraud involving bank cards, leading to losses totaling about $100,000, mentioned John Marzoli, an organization spokesman.

Milley’s legal professional, Kevin Marino, didn’t instantly return a telephone message Tuesday. Marino beforehand mentioned Milley was wanting ahead to “clearing his identify at trial.”

Milley is the second Santos marketing campaign aide to comply with plead responsible in a federal investigation. Final month, Santos’ former treasurer, Nancy Marks, pleaded responsible to conspiracy to defraud and implicated Santos in a scheme to garnish his marketing campaign finance stories with a faux mortgage and pretend donors.

Santos himself faces a 23-count federal indictment alleging that he stole marketing campaign donors’ identities after which used their bank cards to make tens of hundreds of {dollars} in unauthorized expenses. Federal prosecutors say Santos transferred a number of the cash to his private checking account and used the remaining to line his marketing campaign coffers.

Santos, who represents components of Queens and Lengthy Island, can also be accused of falsely reporting to the Federal Election Fee that he loaned his marketing campaign $500,000 when actually he gave nothing and had lower than $8,000 within the financial institution. The indictment says the faux mortgage was an try to persuade Republican Celebration officers that he was a critical candidate and worthy of their monetary assist.

Santos pleaded not responsible to the fees towards him.

Earlier this month, Santos survived a vote to expel him from the Home of Representatives. Most Republicans and 31 Democrats opposed the measure whereas his legal case and Home Ethics Committee investigation proceed.

In an interview with The Related Press in August, Santos mentioned he instantly fired Milley in late 2021 after being knowledgeable that Milley had impersonated Mayer.

Santos additionally recounted what he believed was an try by Milley final summer season to attempt to rejoin Santos’ marketing campaign. Santos mentioned his marketing campaign acquired a lunch invitation from an alleged deep-pocketed donor named Reem Nad, which is Dan Mayer spelled backwards.

“It is like he is obsessed and compulsive with that identify,” Santos mentioned. “You and I, if we obtained caught doing one thing silly like this, the very last thing we might do is go close to that identify.”

Santos, who gained notoriety for fabricating massive parts of his life story whereas operating for president, mentioned he found that Milley had despatched the invitation. Santos didn’t go to lunch however despatched Marks, who informed Milley he wouldn’t get his job again, in line with a Santos spokesman.

Prosecutors mentioned Milley’s impersonation included organising a faux e mail handle that seemed like… Mayer’s identify when he contacted greater than a dozen donors between August and December of 2021.