How money flows between Santos-tied PACs and Nassau GOP

Leading contributors to the PACs associated with embattled incoming Rep. George Santos often overlapped with the Nassau GOP’s most generous direct state and federal donors, a Newsday analysis found. 

Major donors to Santos’ federal committees and the Rise NY PAC, which was run by his sister, also gave money directly to the Nassau County Republican Committee federal account, the Newsday review of campaign finance records found. Santos’ federal committees were forwarding part of these donations to the Nassau County Republican Committee federal account. 

Tap the arrows to see how.

Here is how much money came from each of the major contributors. 

The most  came from Robert Mangi, of Lloyd Harbor, who sent $150,000 to Rise NY PAC alone in a single wire transfer. In 2022, he and his wife, Sandra Mangi, donated a total of $30,000 to the two federal Santos PACs and $6,500 to the Nassau Republicans' federal account. The FEC also cited donations from the Mangis as "Apparent Excessive Contributions," in a letter on Nov. 17, 2022, and another dated April 4.

Andrew Intrater, an asset manager with family and business ties to Viktor Vekselberg, a billionaire Russian oligarch, contributed $80,000 to Rise NY, $35,000 to three Santos federal accounts and $10,000 to the Nassau GOP’s federal account.

The FEC also cites Todd O’Connell, who is reported to have contributed $25,000 on Sept. 2, and Dr. Jeff Vacirca, who is listed as contributing $25,000, also on Sept. 2. O’Connell and Vacirca are leaders of Port Jefferson Station-based New York Cancer & Blood Specialists, one of Long Island’s largest oncology practices. O’Connell is president and Vacirca is chief executive.

PACs tied to Santos and his family sent almost $185,000 to the Nassau county and Hempstead town GOP accounts combined. 

After inquiries from Newsday, Nassau GOP Chairman Joseph Cairo said Thursday that the party would return the Rise NY money, totaling $126,725.

He continued: “The money that we received from his joint committee, and whatever other committees he has, we spent it. We did that in the true spirit of helping a Republican in his election process.”