Federal prosecutors have charged a Texas man they say tried to defraud a former lawmaker. George Santos as well as falsely believing it could help get criminal charges against an actor, musician and professional athlete dropped.
Hector Medina Jr. was arrested Wednesday in his hometown of El Paso, Texas and faces charges in the Eastern District of New York.
FBI statement The bureau says it is investigating a man who identified himself as “Michael Soto,” identified as Medina. The bureau says he targeted people who had been “victims of crime or had family members who had been victimized by crime” by falsely promising victims that “in exchange for large sums of money, they could make their criminal convictions disappear.”
The FBI admitted Medina admitted in a December interview with law enforcement that he “searched the Internet for people in trouble believing they would be easy targets for the scheme” and “tried to get money because he owed a $100,000 gambling debt.”
Although Santos, RN.Y., is not specifically named as a victim in the complaint, details in the affidavit indicate that Santos is “Individual-1,” one of the four victims listed. It was Santos kicked out He was removed from the House in December and is now facing charges brought In May 2023, which he owned he pleaded not guilty. It was Santos hit In October with additional charges, prosecutors allege he engaged in identity theft.
A lawyer for Santos did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The statement identifies Person 2 as a “publicly known actor who was convicted of criminal offenses in California in May 2023.” A 3rd person is listed as “Publicly known musician arrested in June 2023”. A 4th person is listed as a “professional athlete” whose “family member was arrested in May 2023.”