The fundraiser for the former campaign of Rep. George Santos, sentenced to one year and one day on Friday, disguised as a Congressional aide while raising cash for the shameful New York Republican campaign.
Sam Miele pleaded guilty to his role in criminal cases in 2023.
The 28-year-old New Jersey native admitted in 2021 that he asked for a donation in the name of then-head of staff, Dan Meyer.
Prosecutors said Miele's impersonation included setting up a dummy email address similar to Meyer's name while reaching out to more than 12 donors.
Miele also admitted to committing fraud on his access device by charging his credit card for his own personal use by charging his credit card without allowing him to send money to the campaigns of Santos and other political candidates. The fraud totaled around $100,000, prosecutors said.
Miele faced more than two years in prison, but his lawyers filed court prior to Friday's hearing, claiming that he should be sentenced to probation or house arrest.
They claimed Miele had no prior criminal history and quickly admitted his misconduct and cooperated with investigators.
His lawyer also cited dozens of letters of support from family and friends, saying that his ambition to succeed in politics “overwhelms his good judgment, common sense and ethical principles.”
“Sam Miele is a young man who made a bad mistake,” they wrote. “But his criminal behavior does not indicate who he is. Rather, it represents a complete departure from what would otherwise have been a young life characterized by integrity, kindness and service to others.”
In his memo of the sentence, prosecutors recommended sentences below federal guidelines.
Miele agreed to pay approximately $109,000 in reparations in his plea deal, confiscating another $69,000 and paying campaign contributors $470,000.
Miele was one of two campaign aides reaching a plea deal in a federal investigation into Santos' victory campaign.
His former campaign treasurer, Nancy Marks, pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges. She faces a sentence in May.
Santos is expected to be sentenced next month after pleading fraud and aggravated identity theft after pleading guilty in August last year, following his conviction in August last year.
The 36-year-old admitted that he had stolen credit card numbers for multiple people, charged them for his campaign contributions, used campaign cash on designer clothing and other personal expenses, and accidentally collected unemployment benefits while working on his personal wealth in financial disclosures to Congress.
When he entered the guilty plea, Santos denounced his ambition for clouding his judgment.
The unknown at the time gained notoriety in 2022 for overturning the council district that covered wealthy stripes in Queens and Long Island.
However, his fantastic lies about his wealth and background were quickly exposed.
Among other things, Santos lied about having a career in a company and university degree on Topwall Street. He also falsely claimed that his mother had died in the 9/11 attack, and that his grandparents had fled the Holocaust.
Less than a year after taking office, Santos was expelled from his US home, becoming the sixth ever booted from his room.
