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Former George Santos fundraiser pleads guilty to wire fraud
Washington — A former campaign fundraiser for New York Republican Rep. George Santos pleaded guilty on Tuesday to one count of wire fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
Samuel Miele — who served as a fundraiser for the Republican’s campaign during the 2020 and 2022 election cycles, according to court documents — also stipulated to committing access device fraud that totaled about $100,000 in losses when he appeared in federal court.
Miele was charged earlier this year after allegations surfaced that he had impersonated a high-ranking congressional aide while soliciting contributions for Santos’ campaign. The original indictment charged him with four counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft in an alleged fraud scheme.
The person Miele allegedly impersonated during the 2022 election cycle — labeled “Person #1” in the indictment — is believed to be the chief of staff to former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, according to previous reports from CNBC, The New York Times and others.
However, in taking a plea deal on Tuesday, Miele admitted only that he had committed wire fraud, not identity theft. He previously pleaded not guilty to both.
Charging documents filed in August alleged Miele fraudulently solicited campaign funds under false pretenses for Santos’ campaign.
Miele is the second former associate of Santos’ campaign to enter a guilty plea with prosecutors. Last month, his former campaign treasurer pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud, admitting she had fraudulently reported hundreds of thousands in fake loans that Santos claimed to have made to his campaign.
Santos was indicted by a federal grand jury in May on seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives and one count of theft of public funds.
He pleaded not guilty to all counts and has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Miele’s attorneys had no comment and Santos’ office said it could not comment on the matter.
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New documentary explores the private life of “Superman” icon Christopher Reeve
Long before comic book characters dominated movie screens, actor Christopher Reeve made the world believes in superheroes with the 1978 classic “Superman.”
Reeve died in 2004, nearly a decade after an accident re-shaped his life. “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” is using interviews with family and friends and never-before-seen home videos to explore his real-life heroism.
Reeve started his career on the stage, studying at the prestigious Juilliard School and living with comedian Robin Williams. The pair had a friendship that was “more like a brotherhood,” said Reeve’s son Matthew. Reeve was in awe of Williams’ energy and versatility, Matthew Reeve said, but audiences quickly clued into Reeve’s own star power when he took on the role of the Man of Steel.
To his children, though, he “was just dad,” Matthew Reeve said. The documentary explores how Matthew Reeve and his sister Alexandra Reeve Givens grew up watching their dad take the stage as Superman. “Super/Man” also reveals their heartbreak over their parents’ breakup and the joy they found when Reeve re-married. He tied the knot with Dana Reeve in 1992, and the pair welcomed another child, William Reeve, later that year.
“Dana was sunshine,” Alexandra Reeve Givens recalled. “She just brought joy with her wherever she was and could find it even in the darkest moments.”
Those dark moments came suddenly, when in 1995, a near-fatal horseback riding accident left Reeve paralyzed from the neck down. The documentary allows viewers to see, for the first time, what went on out of the public’s view. Reeve can be heard talking about how he “ruined (his) life and everybody else’s,” but in a touching moment, old friend Robin Williams is seen visiting him in the hospital.
“Robin showed him ‘Hey, you’re still you,'” Alexandra Reeve Givens said. “‘You still have this foundation of friendship and people around you, who adore you. And you’re going to find those fun moments in life again.'”
That support from friends and family re-ignited Reeve’s legacy of activism. He made appearances at the Democratic National Convention and the 68th Academy Awards in 1996, about a year after the accident. Matthew Reeve said watching his father address his industry peers at the Oscars was “one of (his) most proud moments.”
“It was just a production for him to get out of bed every morning, let alone get across the country and go out in public for the first time,” Matthew Reeve said. “It was a big deal. It was a big deal to him, but it was also a big deal to the entire disability community. We stayed up in London till like three in the morning to watch that live. It’s a fond memory.”
Reeve also went on to launch what would become the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, which is dedicated to advancing research into spiral cord injury and help individuals and families impacted by paralysis. It was his dad’s mission to find a cure, Matthew Reeve said, while his stepmother wanted to focus on improving the lives of paralyzed people and their families. The foundation and Reeve’s platform helped bring unprecedented attention and funding to spinal cord injury research.
Reeve even kept acting and realized his lifelong dream of directing with the 1997 HBO movie “In the Gloaming.” Reeve died in 2004 from heart failure at 52.
“There is a huge amount of great actors and actresses out there, where their filmography might be amazing and what they achieve on a cultural level might be amazing, but have they actually achieved anything really as a human that moves the needle for our society?” said filmmaker Ian Bonhote, who made the documentary with Peter Ettedgui. “And Chris has done both things.”
“Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” will open in theaters on Friday, Oct. 11.
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