UNITED STATES NEWS

Texas man who tried to scam ex-US Rep. George Santos sentenced to 18 months in prison

Jan 22, 2025, 1:04 PM

FILE - Former U.S. Rep. George Santos arrives at court in Central Islip, N.Y., Aug. 19, 2024. (AP P...

FILE - Former U.S. Rep. George Santos arrives at court in Central Islip, N.Y., Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah, File)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — A Texas man was sentenced to a year and a half in prison Wednesday over his effort to dupe George Santos out of nearly $1 million by offering to destroy evidence in the disgraced congressman’s corruption case.

Hector Medina, 40, admitted to fabricating an identity as a politically connected fixer, then trying to extract money from Santos by claiming that he could have “evidence that is on you removed, disappeared.”

Federal prosecutors said Medina — using the alias Michael Soto — tried the scam on other high-profile criminal defendants, including the actor Danny Masterson, but convinced no one.

Medina’s attorney, Joseph Veith, said he was seeking to pay off gambling debts through a scheme that “lacked the sophistication and credibility necessary to pose any real threat of success.”

Medina pleaded guilty to identity theft and wire fraud in September. That came just weeks after Santos admitted to duping voters, deceiving donors and stealing the identities of nearly a dozen people, including his own family members, to make donations to his campaign.

“It’s fairly unusual where you’d have the defendant and the victim both charged in separate instances with the same crime,” Veith said by phone Wednesday. “My client is just happy his case is over, irrespective of what Mr. Santos is going to have to deal with.”

Santos declined to comment on Medina’s case but said he had submitted a statement to the judge.

Earlier this month, Santos asked the New York judge overseeing his case to delay sentencing until the summer so he could pay off more than half a million dollars in fines by making more episodes of his recently launched podcast “Pants on Fire.”

Santos faces a mandatory minimum two-year sentence for the identity theft charge and a maximum of 22 years in prison. The sentencing is currently scheduled for April 25.

United States News

Demonstrators and lawmakers rally against President Donald Trump and his ally Elon Musk as they dis...

Associated Press

Forced leaves start for thousands at USAID under a Trump plan to gut the foreign aid agency

WASHINGTON (AP) — Forced leaves began in Washington and worldwide Friday for most employees of the U.S. Agency for International Development, as federal workers associations turned to the courts to try to roll back Trump administration orders that have dismantled most of the agency and U.S.- funded aid programs around the world. Under a Trump […]

3 minutes ago

Associated Press

The Latest: US allies in Europe join ICC against Trump’s sanctions over Israel

The International Criminal Court on Friday called on its member states to stand up against sanctions imposed by President Donald Trump, saying that the move was an attempt to “harm its independent and impartial judicial work.” And the embattled court got plenty of support from traditional U.S. allies in Europe who stood up against the […]

13 minutes ago

Associated Press

2 dead, 3 injured in weather event with ‘possible tornado,’ officials in Tennessee say

WARTBURG, Tenn. (AP) — Two people were killed in eastern Tennessee when severe storms with a possible tornado moved through the region. Local officials announced Friday morning that a mother and daughter from the same household were killed when the storm passed through the Deer Lodge and Sunbright areas of Morgan County on Thursday night. […]

39 minutes ago

Tim Andrews smiles as he leaves Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston on Feb. 1, 2025. (Kate Flo...

Associated Press

New Hampshire man is 2nd person known to be living with a pig kidney

A New Hampshire man fought for the chance at a pig kidney transplant, spending months getting into good enough shape to be part of a small pilot study of a highly experimental treatment. His effort paid off: Tim Andrews, 66, is only the second person known to be living with a pig kidney. Andrews is […]

57 minutes ago

Rev. Esteban Rodriguez, who leads Centro Cristiano El Pan de Vida, prays for congregants during a c...

Associated Press

Latino evangelical churches gear up to face possible immigration enforcement in churches

Bishop Ebli De La Rosa says his motto right now is “to prepare for the worst and pray for the best.” De La Rosa, who oversees Church of God of Prophecy congregations in nine southeastern states, says he has had to respond quickly to the Trump administration’s new orders, which have thrown out policies that […]

58 minutes ago

AP journalist Reid G. Miller speaks on a phone while sitting barefoot in the mud in a U.N. compound...

Associated Press

Reid G. Miller, longtime AP international correspondent and editor, dies at 90

NEW YORK (AP) — Reid G. Miller, who traveled the planet as an intrepid international correspondent for The Associated Press and developed a reputation as a supportive editor and unswervingly loyal boss during the toughest of breaking-news moments, has died. He was 90. Miller died early Thursday in his sleep at his home in Sarasota, […]

8 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

...

Bright Wealth Management

How IRAs are a helpful tool in retirement planning

When it comes to retirement planning, individual retirement accounts (IRAs) can be a great tool for income growth.

...

Fiesta Bowl Foundation

Join us for the 52nd annual Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade

The 52nd annual Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade presented by Lerner & Rowe returns on Saturday, December 28, at 10 a.m.

...

The UPS Store

How The UPS Store is giving back to the community

PHOENIX -- As 2024 nears a close, The UPS Store is looking to give back to the Arizona community with the holiday season approaching.

Texas man who tried to scam ex-US Rep. George Santos sentenced to 18 months in prison