Santos asks court to reverse order to reveal his bail backers' identities in criminal fraud case

Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., asked a national tribunal Friday greeting to reverse a judge's bid to uncover the identities of the radical who guaranteed the $500,000 enslaved successful his transgression fraud case.

An lawyer for Santos, the scandal-plagued freshman congressman who is charged with aggregate fiscal crimes, argued that the backers' identities should stay backstage due to the fact that of concerns that they volition beryllium attacked and harassed arsenic a effect of the "media frenzy" surrounding the case.

"It is respectfully submitted that the tribunal failed to comprehend the value of the privateness issues of these suretors," the attorney, Joseph Murray, wrote successful a court filing successful U.S. District Court successful Long Island.

"Given the governmental somesthesia successful this Country and acts of governmental unit that occur, the privateness interests of these suretors are acold much concerning, particularly considering their ages and respective employment," Murray wrote.

Magistrate Judge Anne Shields 3 days earlier had granted requests from respective quality outlets that had argued that the nationalist had a close to cognize the guarantors' identities. Shields had fixed Santos until noon connected Friday to record his appeal.

Santos, 34, has pleaded not blameworthy to charges of defrauding his run supporters, lying to get unemployment wealth and making mendacious statements connected his legislature disclosure forms. The charges travel a heap of scandals that person weighed down the congressman since adjacent earlier helium took bureau successful January.

He has vowed not to resign and is seeking reelection, though helium antecedently acknowledged that helium lied astir his grounds portion campaigning.

Lawyers for The New York Times had argued that the ample bail magnitude backed by the yet-to-be-identified radical "presents an evident accidental for governmental influence," particularly due to the fact that Santos "has been charged with impact abusing the governmental process for idiosyncratic gain."

But Murray said that "countervailing factors" enactment keeping the bail backers' identities nether wraps. He said that Santos, his unit and others person been subjected to "hateful attacks" done the case.

"These attacks person been highly angry, anti-gay, anti-Republican and each astir antisocial," Murray wrote.

"It is tenable to reason that if Defendant's suretors are identified, that the attacks and harassment volition commence against them too," the lawyer argued.

That clime contributed to a 3rd imaginable suretor "having a alteration of bosom and withdrawing," Murray wrote.

He added that if the different 2 backers' identities are released, they are apt to determine "that they shall person to retreat from, serving arsenic suretors."

"There is large interest for the health, safety, and well-being of our 2 suretors, which sadly, was not shared by Judge Shields, astatine slightest arsenic a origin of their privateness concerns," Murray wrote.