George Santos, Danny Masterson and other disgraced public figures were targeted by a Texas scammer who posed as a prosecutor and suggested he could help get their cases tossed — in exchange for cold hard cash, the feds said Wednesday.
Hector Medina, Jr., 39, surrendered Wednesday morning in his hometown of El Paso, Tx. and admitted that he ran the scheme because he owed over $100,000 in gambling debts, according to Brooklyn federal prosecutors.
The accused fraudster, who also went by “Michael Soto,” first allegedly sent a video message to Santos — the ousted Long Island congressman facing federal fraud charges — in July 2023, claiming that he worked with prosecutors and judges in the US.
“I was contacted by some people to reach out to you and see if you wanted to cut a deal,” Medina said in the video, according to prosecutors.
“Uh, this only stands for today. If you’re interested, I can get everything dropped, evidence that is on you removed, disappeared. Reach out to me if you’re interested. It’s simple yes or no. Thank you.”
Medina later allegedly sent a text message to Santos where he promised that the lyin’ ex-politician’s troubles could go away for $900,000, according to a newly unsealed affidavit.
He then sent a picture of a phony New Mexico driver’s license as proof of ID, before pleading to Santos to let him help, the court documents state.
“I’m really good at what I do,” Medina purportedly said. “I’m a genius. I am a wizard when it comes to things like this. So, take advantage of the situation and let me know. Thank you.”
Court documents don’t reveal if Santos — who became the sixth member ever to be expelled from the US House of Representatives last year after fabricating much of his personal and professional history — fell for the scam.
Medina also attempted to reach Masterson last summer, before the “That ’70s Show” star was sentenced to 30 years in prison for raping two women in his Hollywood-area home back in 2003, according to court papers.
He’s accused of targeting two others — including a publicly known musician who was arrested in June 2023 and a “professional athlete” who had a family member arrested in May 2023, according to the feds.
Medina faces charges of wire fraud, and up to 20 years in prison if convicted. He has two past criminal convictions for theft and fraudulent activity, according to prosecutors.
He was expected to appear before a judge in El Paso, Tx. sometime Wednesday before answering the charges in Brooklyn Federal Court at a later date.
“I am currently in the initial phases of my representation of Mr. Medina in this matter,” his attorney, Joseph Veith, said in a statement. “Mr. Medina eagerly anticipates confronting the allegations against him through the formal legal process.”