The father and aunt of Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., guaranteed his $500,000 bond after he was charged last month with more than a dozen federal counts, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to NBC News on Thursday.
The congressman's father, Gercino Dos Santos, and his aunt, Elma Santos Preven, were the suretors for the bond. They did not have to provide any money upfront — they are only obligated to pay if Santos violates the terms of his release. Their names, first reported by ABC News, were confirmed as a federal court in New York released a document just after noon on Thursday showing the family members' signatures.
U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert had ordered their identities to be made available to the public.
Santos’ lawyer had previously argued that unsealing the names of the co-signers would put them in a position to “likely to suffer great distress, may lose their jobs, and God forbid, may suffer physical injury.”
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Read the full story on NBCNews.com here.
