Miele had claimed to be a “high-ranking aide to a member of the House with leadership responsibilities,” the doc stated, not naming the member who is reported to be McCarthy. “High risk, high reward in everything I do,” Miele wrote in a letter, according to the indictment.
Earlier this year, McCarthy addressed the rumors. “My staff raised concerns when he had a staff member who impersonated my chief of staff, and that individual was let go when Mr. Santos found about it,” he told reporters in January.
Miele was arraigned this morning in Brooklyn federal court, during which he pleaded not guilty. He was released on $150,000 bond.