Rep. George Santos would go to jail to maintain identities of bond cosigners secret, lawyer says

NEW YORK — Rep. George Santos’ lawyer mentioned Monday the indicted New York Republican would threat going to jail to guard the identities of the individuals who cosigned the $500,000 bond enabling his pretrial launch.

The lawyer, Joseph Murray, urged a choose to disclaim a request by information retailers to unseal the names of Santos‘ bond suretors, suggesting they could “suffer great distress,” including possible job losses and physical harm, if they’re recognized publicly.

“My client would rather surrender to pretrial detainment than subject these suretors to what will inevitably come,” Murray wrote in a letter to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anne Shields.

Murray requested that she give them time to withdraw as cosignors if she decides to unseal the suretors’ names, which Shields stored off the general public courtroom docket on the lawyer’s request.

Murray mentioned he, Santos and Santos‘ employees have been receiving threatening and harassing calls and messages, together with loss of life threats. The lawyer mentioned he obtained a name Friday from somebody shouting, “Who paid Santos‘ bond?” and mentioned he worries Santos‘ critics “are just waiting to pounce” on the folks backing his launch.

“We truly fear for their health, safety and well being,” Murray wrote.

Santos pleaded not responsible on May 10 to a 13-count indictment charging that he duped donors, stole from his marketing campaign, lied to Congress about being a millionaire and cheated to gather unemployment advantages he didn’t deserve. He is due again in courtroom on June 30.

The 34-year-old, who represents elements of Queens and Long Island, has defied calls to resign and has mentioned he received’t drop his bid for a second time period.

Prosecutors haven’t taken a place on the unsealing request.

In a letter final week, a lawyer for information retailers urged the choose to the discharge the names of Santos‘ bond suretors, citing a “compelling public interest in maintaining the greatest transparency possible in these proceedings.”

The New York Times first wrote to Shields on May 23 asking to unseal the names. Other information retailers, together with The Associated Press, joined the combat a couple of days later.

Separately, the House Ethics Committee wrote to Santos on May 16 asking him to establish the individuals who cosigned his bond.

Murray mentioned Santos initially lined up three financially accountable cosignors as suretors, however one backed out and the opposite two didn’t present as much as his arraignment. That pressured them to make “other confidential arrangements” to make sure Santos’ launch, Murray mentioned.