Because the treasurer for George Santos’ marketing campaign and two of his political committees, Nancy Marks is a central determine within the numerous investigations into his wildly irregular marketing campaign funds. And in line with a brand new report from the New York Instances,…
Because the treasurer for George Santos’ marketing campaign and two of his political committees, Nancy Marks is a central determine within the numerous investigations into his wildly irregular marketing campaign funds. And in line with a brand new report from the New York Instances, Marks attracted the eye of federal investigators not less than twice earlier than she teamed up with Santos.
Together with being a marketing campaign bookkeeper, Marks has made her personal foray into politics in 2020 by working for the board of her area people library. In that race, in line with supplies TPM dug up on-line, Marks touted herself as an advocate for precisely the sorts of issues that have been seemingly missing in her work on Santos’ marketing campaign together with accountability and “cautious stewardship of library sources and services.”
“Proudly owning my very own enterprise for the previous 30 years, I’ve additionally discovered a factor or two about creating efficiencies and holding individuals and organizations accountable,” Marks wrote in a September 2020 Fb put up about her marketing campaign to be a trustee of Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Library in Lengthy Island.
Marks was initially appointed to function a alternative for a trustee of the library who resigned. She was subsequently elected to a five-year time period. Marks is affiliated with a number of firms. Considered one of her companies is Campaigns Limitless, a agency that offered bookkeeping companies to Santos and dozens of different Republican campaigns and committees. The corporate relies in Marks’ house within the city of Shirley on Lengthy Island.
Based on the Instances, Marks and her firm have twice attracted the eye of federal investigators. As soon as after she was accused of overcharging a shopper in 2013 and one other time when she was described as being a part of a scheme to rearrange the sale of a poll line in 2015. In each cases, prosecutors reportedly declined to carry fees.
Regardless of the scrutiny from investigators, Marks’ enterprise boomed. Based on the Instances, Marks’ firms took in over $3 million in political spending between 2009 and 2022. Throughout this time, Marks had private monetary struggles. Information present Marks had a number of judgements in opposition to her stemming from unpaid bank card payments. Her house can also be the topic of a foreclosures dispute with Chase Financial institution that has been ongoing since 2017.
As TPM has documented, Santos’ marketing campaign finance reviews have been studded with irregularities. These points have reportedly attracted the eye of investigators. The issues included a slew of fees for $199.99, which is pennies below the edge that will require itemization, donors that don’t appear to exist, reviews that have been amended dozens of instances, obvious private bills, and contributions attributed to “nameless.” As TPM first reported again in January, donors who gave to Santos and one other candidate who labored with Marks additionally declare to have subsequently acquired unauthorized bank card fees.
The varied points with Santos’ marketing campaign funds started coming to mild late final yr after the freshman congressman was revealed to have fabricated points of his private historical past. Whereas Santos claimed to have labored at a number of main monetary establishments, his primary expertise within the business truly got here at an organization that has been described in an SEC criticism as a ponzi scheme. Executives from that enterprise have been additionally tied to Santos’ marketing campaign — and to Marks.
In not less than one interview, Santos has forged blame for the improprieties on Marks and prompt she went “rogue.” A spokesperson for Santos’ congressional workplace referred questions on Marks to a common electronic mail tackle for his marketing campaign. A message despatched to that tackle bounced again.
Marks has responded to the scrutiny, which has included information vans pulling as much as her house, by laying low. She was a no-show at a gathering for the group library in January. When Marisa Kabas, a reporter who has extensively chronicled the Santos scandal, visited Marks’ house after that assembly, the lights have been on, however nobody answered the door.
Marks and her lawyer didn’t reply to requests for remark from TPM. A girl who answered the telephone at Campaigns Limitless stated Marks was unavailable.
“Sorry however Nancy just isn’t within the workplace,” the lady stated.