Rep. George Santos’s father and aunt guaranteed the $500,000 bond needed to keep the New York Republican out of jail pending his trial on federal charges, according to court papers unsealed Thursday.

The identities of the sureties had been a mystery since May, when Mr. Santos pleaded not guilty to a 13-count indictment.  

Court papers show that Mr. Santos’s father, Gercino Dos Santos, and his aunt, Elma Santos Preven, signed documents that would require them to pay up if the congressman violated the terms of his release.

Mr. Santos’s lawyer recently said the lawmaker would rather go to jail than reveal who bailed him out. He feared they would be subject to harassment or threats.

Media companies pressed the courts to unseal the names, and House Democrats said they wanted the identities to ensure compliance with House gift rules.

U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert in Central Islip, New York, on Tuesday ordered the names of the sureties to be revealed at midday Thursday. She said the order provided Mr. Santos time to make arrangements if the people who had posted his bond decided to withdraw.

Prosecutors accuse Mr. Santos, who previously admitted to fabricating swaths of his personal history, of using political donations for personal expenses; applying for COVID-19 unemployment relief despite making $120,000 per year at a Florida investment firm; and misstating income amounts on House disclosure forms.

Mr. Santos says he looks forward to clearing his name, but fellow lawmakers have pushed for him to resign and others have called for his expulsion.

• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.