A Texas man turned himself in to authorities Wednesday after committing wire fraud in an attempt to defraud then-Rep. George Santos (RN.Y.), actor Danny Masterson and others are facing criminal charges.
according to newly opened affidavitHector Medina Jr. sent texts and videos to Santos’ cell phone that falsely offered that criminal charges against the congressman could be dropped in exchange for large sums of money.
“You don’t know me, but I wanted you to see my face and believe what I’m about to tell you. I work with prosecutors and judges across the country, and I offer my services to you.” I want to give you the opportunity to do that,” Medina reportedly said in a July video sent to Santos.
“Several people have reached out to me to see if you would like to sign a contract,” Medina reportedly continued. “Oh, this is just for today. If you’re interested, we’ll remove everything, remove any evidence about you, and make it disappear. If you’re interested, please contact me. ” or “No.” thank you. ”
“All I need is for you or someone to wire me to 900k,” Medina wrote in a text message to Santos, including the routing number.
Investigators said Medina, who introduced himself to Santos and others as “Mike Soto,” voluntarily admitted to sending the videos and other messages when questioned by the FBI. Medina said he devised the scheme because he had more than $100,000 in gambling debts, according to court documents.
The Hill has reached out to Medina’s attorney for comment.
Mr. Santos himself faces charges including wire fraud, but the new lawsuit does not charge him with any wrongdoing, and the indictment does not indicate that Mr. Santos was a victim of fraud.
But he did report Medina’s efforts to the Justice Department, a person close to the former congressman and a second person familiar with the matter told The Hill. The person said he handed over the evidence to authorities.
The affidavit also alleges that Medina similarly attempted to defraud three other celebrities who had either faced criminal charges themselves or had relationships with people who had been criminally charged.
Those individuals are not identified in the document, but one person is Mr. Masterson, the “That ’70s Show” star who was convicted of rape in Los Angeles last year, according to a person familiar with the matter. It is said that
If convicted, Medina could face up to 20 years in prison.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, where Medina is being prosecuted, said the defendant turned himself in on Wednesday morning in his hometown of El Paso, Texas.
He made his first appearance in court there Wednesday and is scheduled to appear in federal court in Brooklyn at a later date, the spokesperson added.
Mr. Medina’s arrest comes just over three months after the House of Representatives voted to expel Mr. Santos in a historic vote, making him the sixth lawmaker ever to be expelled from the chamber.
The December vote followed the release of a damning report from the House Ethics Committee in which Santos was indicted on 23 criminal charges and found he had “violated federal criminal law.” It was the third attempt to remove state Republicans from Congress.
Mr. Santos has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. His trial is scheduled to begin in September.
Mr. Santos was elected to the House of Representatives in November 2022, and his victory flipped New York’s 3rd Congressional District into a red flag, elevating his political career as one of the pioneers of the Republican Party. But that characterization was quickly dismissed amid allegations that he had fabricated parts of his resume and background during his campaign.
The congressman was indicted in May on 13 federal charges for defrauding donors and misrepresenting finances to the public and government agencies. Authorities filed a superseding indictment in October with 10 additional criminal charges against him, alleging that he inflated campaign finance reports and charged donors’ credit cards without authorization.
Despite leaving Congress, Santos continued to make headlines as a private citizen, saying, “This place is hell” as he left the Capitol during the expulsion vote.
The former congressman started an account called Cameo and sells videos for a high price to customers who want birthday wishes, wedding speeches, messages of encouragement and more.
The video cost $350 as of Wednesday afternoon.
Last month, Santos sued Jimmy Kimmel for fraud, breach of contract, unjust enrichment and copyright infringement, alleging the late-night show host misused the former lawmaker’s cameo video. The complaint alleges that Kimmel submitted a video request from Santos by providing a “false name and description” that was sent from a “fake user profile” created as part of a “fraud.”
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
