Month: August 2023

A campaign fundraiser who worked with Rep. George Santos has been indicted on four counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft, after he allegedly impersonated a top aide to a member of the House while contacting donors for Santos’ campaign. Santos’ office has declined to comment on Miele.

According to an indictment and memo filed in federal court, during the 2022 election cycle Samuel Miele allegedly impersonated someone labeled “Person #1” in the indictment (who is believed to be the chief of staff to now-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, according to reports from CNBC and The New York Times. In a separate memo, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York alerted federal judges in New York that Miele had been indicted over alleged efforts to “defraud prospective contributors to Devolder Santos’s campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives during the 2022 election cycle.”

The indictment of Miele claims he “falsely and without authorization impersonated Person #1, in both email and telephone communications with potential contributors, for the purpose of soliciting financial contributions to support the campaign and enriching himself through commissions earned on these financial contributions to the campaign.” The indictment says Miele’s commission was 15% of each contribution; Miele allegedly admitted in a letter to “faking my identity to a big donor,” saying he was “high risk, high reward in everything I do.” Miele did not respond to a request seeking comment; an initial court date in his case has not yet been set.

Santos pleaded not guilty on charges filed in May of fraud, money laundering and more crimes. Federal prosecutors allege in Santos’ case that the freshman congressman from New York’s Long Island operated a limited liability company to defraud prospective supporters of his 2022 congressional campaign, and that Santos induced supporters to donate money to the unnamed company “under the false pretense that the money would be used to support” his candidacy. In addition to his federal court case, Santos faces an investigation by the House Ethics Committee.

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According to a statement released by the White House on Wednesday, President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will travel to Maui on Monday, August 21 after devastating wildfires on the Hawaiian island killed more than 100 people and caused mass destruction in the area. The death toll from the fires rose to 106 on Wednesday as recovery efforts continued.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that Mr. and Mrs. Biden will meet with first responders, survivors, as well as federal, state, and local officials during their trip: “The president and first lady will be welcomed by state and local leaders to see firsthand the impacts of the wildfires and the devastating loss of life and land that has occurred on the island, as well as discuss the next steps in the recovery effort. The president continues to marshal a whole-of-government response to the deadly Maui fires, and he has committed to delivering everything that the people of Hawaii need from the federal government as they recover from this disaster.”

The White House has been working closely with Hawaii’s Senators Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz, Gov. Josh Green, and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, keeping the President up-to-date on search and recovery efforts. FEMA said more than 4,400 survivors have registered for federal assistance and may be eligible for immediate resources, including hotel rooms or financial assistance. Criswell said on Wednesday that FEMA has approved more than $2.3 million in assistance to 1,331 households, including more than $798,000 in initial rental assistance, to help survivors start the recovery process. FEMA also opened a joint disaster recovery center where survivors can speak face-to-face with FEMA specialists to have access to other federal and state resources.

Biden had said earlier in the week that while he wanted to travel to Maui, he wanted to ensure that a presidential visit would not hinder recovery efforts. “I don’t want to get in the way — I’ve been to too many disaster areas, but I want to go and make sure we got everything we need. I want to be sure we don’t disrupt the ongoing recovery efforts,” Biden said, adding that he pledged Maui will have “every asset, every asset they need.”

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Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, who is one of the co-defendants charged with racketeering in the Georgia 2020 election probe, is seeking to move the Fulton County case to federal court.

In a 14-page court document filed on Tuesday, Meadows argued that the charges in the indictment pertain to actions he took while serving in the Trump administration.  His attorneys wrote: “Mr. Meadows has the right to remove this matter. The conduct giving rise to the charges in the indictment all occurred during his tenure and as part of his service as Chief of Staff.”   Meadows’ lawyers requested “prompt removal,” citing a federal law that allows a United States officer to remove a civil action or criminal prosecution in state court against them to the district court.

The request from Meadows comes just one day after the former Chief of Staff, along with former President Donald Trump and 17 other defendants, were indicted on felony charges in connection with efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia. Meadows faces two counts in the sprawling 41-count indictment, including alleged violation of the Georgia Racketeer Influenced And Corrupt Organizations Act and solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer.

The probe was launched by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.  According to the indictment, Meadows, Trump and other unindicted co-conspirators “unlawfully solicited, requested, and importuned” Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Jan. 2, 2021. Trump shares the charges faced by Meadows and faces 11 additional counts, stemming from allegedly filing false documents, making false statements and writings, and several conspiracy charges. Other Trump allies were also charged, including Rudy Giuliani and former Justice Department official, Jeffrey Clark.  Trump and Giuliani have denied any wrongdoing.

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The mother of a 6-year-old boy who authorities say used her gun to shoot his first-grade teacher at a elementary school in Virginia pleaded guilty Tuesday to a state charge stemming from the shooting in January. The case drew national attettion to school safety and gun violence and led to the ouster of the school’s superintendent and an assistant principal.

Deja Taylor, 26, was charged in April with felony child neglect and recklessly leaving a loaded firearm so as to endanger a child, a misdemeanor. Taylor could serve up to six months in state prison based on a recommendation by the Newport News Commonwealth’s Attorney. A judge will sentence Taylor on Oct. 27. The separate misdemeanor charge was dropped in a plea agreement, allowing Taylor to avoid a potential six-year prison sentence. Taylor’s attorney James Ellenson told reporters outside the courthouse: “She feels very responsible, feels very bad … It’s just very emotional, the whole hearing. It’s all just very upsetting to everybody.”

Abigail Zwerner, the teacher in the shooting at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, was shot with a 9 mm handgun in their classroom after recess on Jan. 6, police said in a search warrant for the investigation. Zwerner told investigators the boy pulled a gun out of his jacket pocket and pointed it at her. When she asked what he was doing, he fired one shot. Zwerner was hit in the left hand and upper torso. As a result, Zwerner has filed a $40 million lawsuit alleging that school administrators ignored multiple warnings from staff and students who believed the boy had a gun and posed an imminent threat on the day of the shooting, knowing the child “had a history of random violence.”

According to the search warrant, Taylor told police that she normally stored the gun in her purse with a trigger lock in place or in a lock box, and on the morning of the shooting Taylor thought the gun was in her purse on top of her dresser in her bedroom. She said she kept the key for the trigger lock under her mattress. However in a federal case stemming from the shooting, investigators said they couldn’t find a trigger lock or a lock box during searches of Taylor’s home or her mother’s home. Taylor also pleaded guilty in federal court in June to the use of marijuana while possessing a firearm. She is expected to be sentenced in October and could receive 18 months to 24 months in prison.

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