Disgraced, former Rep. George Santos has praised the FBI and Department of Justice for moving to remove “a frequent flyer of fraud and deceit out of society through the legal process.”

However, Santos is not talking about his own ongoing legal woes. It appears he’s been the victim of a scammer.

It doesn’t feel nice, does it, George?

According to The Hill, a Texas man turned himself in to authorities in El Paso yesterday.

According to an affidavit, Hector Medina Jr, sent a video and text messages to Santos claiming he could help him with his legal problems.

In the video, Medina said, “You don’t know me but, I wanted you to see a face and trust me on what I’m about to tell you. I work with prosecutors and, uh, judges throughout the United States, and I want to give you the opportunity to offer my services.”

He allegedly suggested that he could make Santos’ legal problems go away.

“I was contacted by some people to reach out to you and see if you wanted to cut a deal,” Medina said. “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.”

The price for Medina’s help? A mere $900,000.

Danny Masterson

When questioned by the FBI, Medina admitted sending the texts and video to Santos. He also admitted sending similar messages to others facing legal trouble, including former That 70s Show’s Danny Masterson. A judge sentenced the actor to 30 years to life in prison last year for raping two women.

A lawyer acting for Medina told The Hill, “I am currently in the initial phases of my representation of Mr. Medina in this matter. Mr. Medina eagerly anticipates confronting the allegations against him through the formal legal process.”

Santos responds

Santos posted a message to X yesterday commenting on the case.

“Last year I was messaged by a man claiming he’d ‘take care of everything for me’ and ‘make it all go away’…

“I immediately sent it to my attorney who immediately sent it to the DOJ…

“For a number of weeks and multiple jurisdictions this man continued to engage in a self incriminating monologue in my text messages through Videos, pictures and, elaborate texts…

“Yesterday the world got to witness yet another example of the inside horrors of my life in 2023…

“Last week you all saw the story of the man who was convicted for threatening to kill my husband and I…

“This week you got to see the absolute nightmare and insecurity this man cause me and my husband…

“As a public figure I lost my safety and privacy… today I’m trying to regain that while keeping my voice alive in the public discourse… not an easy task.

“I want to congratulate the FBI and DOJ on bringing this case forward. Thanks to my report to them now they are closer to removing a frequent flyer of fraud and deceit out of society through the legal process…”

Santos said that he had been unaware Medina had allegedly targeted others until reading about it in the press yesterday.

“I was as surprised as everyone else to learn about the other people he targeted as well and it dawns upon me the importance of the phrase I grew up listening too ‘if you see something say something’…”

The charges against Santos

Santos faces 23 federal charges. Elected to Congress in 2022, he was ousted by fellow lawmakers last December. Prosecutors allege he misled donors and misrepresented his finances to the public and government agencies. They also claim he inflated his campaign finance reports and charged donors’ credit cards without authorization.

Santos denies all the charges against him.