Key takeaways:
- Joseph Murray, Rep. George Santos’ lawyer, has urged a judge to deny a request by news outlets to unseal the names of the bond suretors.
- Murray 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.”
- The judge has yet to make a decision on the matter. Santos is currently facing charges of bribery, wire fraud, and conspiracy.
Rep. George Santos’ lawyer, Joseph Murray, has urged a judge to deny a request by news outlets to unseal the names of the bond suretors, or guarantors, who co-signed the $500,000 bond enabling his pretrial release. In a letter to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anne Shields, Murray 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.”
Murray said his client “would rather surrender to pretrial detainment than subject these suretors to what will inevitably come.” He added that the suretors “will suffer some unnecessary form of retaliation if their identities and employment are revealed.”
The request to unseal the names of the bond suretors was made by news outlets, who argue that the public has a right to know who is financially backing Santos’ release. However, Murray has argued that the potential consequences of the suretors’ identities being revealed outweighs the public’s right to know.
The judge has yet to make a decision on the matter. Santos is currently facing charges of bribery, wire fraud, and conspiracy. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison.
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