Rep. George Santos’ ex-treasurer, Nancy Marks, pleads responsible to fraud conspiracy in reference to lawmaker’s marketing campaign work6 min read

Nancy Marks, the previous marketing campaign treasurer for Rep. George Santos and a behind-the-scenes fixture in native Republican politics for greater than a decade, pleaded responsible in federal courtroom Thursday to a single rely of conspiracy to defraud the USA in connection together with her work on the embattled congressman’s marketing campaign.

The Shirley resident entered her plea Thursday afternoon earlier than U.S. District Court docket Decide Joanna Seybert on the federal courthouse in Central Islip, admitting that she filed studies with each the Federal Election Fee and the Republican Nationwide Committee that included the names of false donors. 

Marks stated she filed the fraudulent studies working with Santos to artificially inflate the quantity of funds he raised to fulfill monetary bench marks essential to obtain monetary help from the nationwide committee to fulfill the committee’s objectives. The marketing campaign wanted to report elevating a minimum of $250,000, in response to courtroom information.

“I did this realizing it was not true and the donors, who’re actual folks, did not give me permission to make use of their names,” Marks informed Seybert.

Beneath the conspiracy cost, Marks was accused of constructing a false assertion, wire fraud, falsification of a document and aggravated identification theft.

Marks, 58, resigned as Santos’ marketing campaign treasurer in January. The congressman blamed her for mounting questions on his fundraising and spending earlier than his federal indictment in Might.

Reached by cellphone on Thursday morning, Santos informed Newsday he had “no remark” on Marks’ pending look or her plea.

Marks and Santos reported he lent his marketing campaign $500,000 in 2022 realizing he did not have the cash to take action, Marks and prosecutors stated Thursday. False studies have been filed in each his 2020 and 2022 campaigns, Assistant United States Lawyer Anthony Bagnuola stated.

“Marks and the candidate agreed to and did falsely report that a minimum of 10 of their members of the family had made vital contributions to the marketing campaign,” Bagnuola stated.

 Emails and textual content messages from Marks and Santos are among the many proof indicating the conspiracy, courtroom information present. 

Marks protection lawyer Ray Perini of Hauppauge stated his shopper doesn’t have a cooperation settlement with the federal government, however advised she would testify if known as upon.

“In the event that they subpoena her, she’ll do the best factor,” Perini stated.

Marks was “preyed on” by Santos into serving to him falsify information at a susceptible level in her life following the dying of her husband, Perini stated, including that his shopper fell for the candidate’s “lies and manipulation.”

“Nancy Marks is a well-respected marketing campaign treasurer and political operative,” stated Perini.

“She had the braveness at this time to face as much as the lies, to the BS and inform the reality and he or she did that underneath oath,” Perini stated. “She’s going to place George Santos behind her.”

Marks, who appeared in courtroom in a black blazer with a black headband and glasses, was launched on a $100,000 unsecured bond.

Seybert stated Marks is dealing with a suggestion sentence of between 3 1/2 to 4 years in federal jail when she is sentenced April 12.

Santos lawyer Joseph Murray, who sat within the again row of the courtroom, stated he didn’t know if Marks would cooperate with prosecutors. He declined to remark additional.

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Santos (R-Nassau/Queens), 35, is himself underneath federal indictment. In Might, he pleaded not responsible to prices alleging he orchestrated a sequence of schemes whereas operating for Congress, together with ripping off political donors and mendacity on his congressional monetary disclosure varieties. He’s due again in courtroom later this month on prices of wire fraud, cash laundering, theft of public funds, and making materially false statements to the Home of Representatives as a part of schemes federal prosecutors stated started in 2020.

Samuel Miele, 27, a former fundraiser for the Santos marketing campaign, was additionally indicted in August on prices of wire fraud and aggravated identification theft. Miele is accused of impersonating a high-level congressional staffer in soliciting donations for Santos. He has pleaded not responsible and is because of seem earlier than Seybert on Oct. 11.

Marks was employed to work as marketing campaign treasurer for Santos starting along with his first marketing campaign for Congress in 2020.  An organization registered to her was additionally among the many entities to create a political consulting firm known as Crimson Methods USA, together with Santos. 

Marks has served on greater than 150 Republican campaigns for 30 years, establishing herself over the previous decade as a go-to marketing campaign treasurer in Suffolk County and past.

Her agency, Campaigns Limitless, which has the identical Flintlock Drive tackle as her house, collected $1.29 million for work on Republican campaigns from 2008 to 2022 from state and native campaigns and $1 million from congressional campaigns since 2009, Newsday reported in February. Final yr, she was additionally the treasurer for GOP governor nominee Lee Zeldin, of Shirley, a longtime shopper.

Marks started her political profession as an unpaid volunteer for then-Suffolk County Clerk Edward Romaine’s failed congressional run in 1992. Marks opened Campaigns Limitless in 2008, state information present. By 2010, she started engaged on Zeldin’s State Senate marketing campaign and attracting extra purchasers.

 Marketing campaign finance information present Marks would solicit donations from rich Republican supporters to marketing campaign committees, a few of which operated from her Shirley tackle. The cash would assist campaigns which regularly employed her as treasurer and used different firms she created for printing and fundraising, the information present.  

By the shut of the 2022 election cycle in November, Campaigns Limitless labored for greater than 40 candidates and political committees and took in $321,030.

 Marks, who can also be concerned in civic causes in her hometown, was honored as lately as January for work for Colonial Youth and Household Providers, a charity that seeks to advertise bodily, emotional and social wellness.  

With Michael Gormley and Laura Figueroa Hernandez

Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Lengthy Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.