Texas man targeting George Santos in fraud scheme faces serious prison time

Washington DC - A Texas man is facing criminal charges after he promised ousted Congressman George Santos that he could make all his legal issues go away.

Hector Medina Jr. of Texas is facing 20 years in prison for attempting to defraud former Congressman George Santos (pictured) and three other public figures.
Hector Medina Jr. of Texas is facing 20 years in prison for attempting to defraud former Congressman George Santos (pictured) and three other public figures.  © ALMOND NGAN / AFP

According to an affidavit, Hector Medina Jr. (39) of El Paso, Texas, is facing 20 years in prison for a fraud scam where he sought out public figures facing serious criminal charges and promised to make them "disappear in exchange for large sums of money."

Santos isn't named in the filing but is believed to be [individual-1], who is described as the representative of New York's 3rd District who was hit with "multiple criminal felonies" in May 2023.

Using the alias "Michael Soto," Medina began sending Santos a series of text and video messages attempting to strike a "deal."

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Medina, who is said to have "owed over $100,000 in gambling debts", sent a video of himself claiming that he works with prosecutors and judges around the country, and "I can get everything dropped, evidence that is on you removed, disappeared."

"All I need is for you or someone to wire 900k," he said in one text exchange.

George Santos has his own fraud troubles

Around that time, Santos was hit with 23 criminal charges, which included allegations of money laundering, wire fraud, and identity theft. He, too, is facing serious prison time but has pled not guilty to all charges and continues to maintain his innocence.

Medina also pulled the stunt on three other public figures - [individual-2] is described as "a publicly known actor who had been convicted of felonies in California in May 2023," [individual-3] is a "publicly known musician who had been arrested in June 2023," and [individual-4] is a pro-athlete whose "family member had been arrested in May 2023."

The other victims have not been confirmed, but the actor is rumored to be That 70's Show star Danny Masterson, who was convicted on rape charges last May.

Cover photo: ALMOND NGAN / AFP

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