A fundraiser benefiting Sandwich University owner George Tanios — facing 10 charges for his alleged role in the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol — and his family has raised over $60,000, but one for his co-defendant Julian Khater has raised much less.
Khater also faces 10 charges for his alleged role in the Jan. 6 riot; however, he has not been released on bond. Tanios was released from prison to home confinement in August and in November his bond was modified to allow him to go outside from 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
The fundraiser for Tanios, created by his fiance Amanda Plumley, on GiveSendGo, the “#1 free Christian crowdfunding site,” was first reported by The Daily Athenaeum on Thursday.
Tanois’ fundraiser seeks to raise $150,000 and as of Oct. 20, $59,195 has been raised, according to an archived version of the fundraiser. It’s no longer possible to see the amount raised on the live page.
In the past 30 days, the campaign for Tanios has raised about $2,100, with $200 being the largest donation and $5 being the smallest donation, according to the donation feed. The campaign has two $2,000 donations over its life and 890 total givers.
Khater’s fundraiser was created by Elie Khater and seeks to raise $500,000. As of Thursday, it has raised $16,939 — or 3% — of that goal through 308 donations.
Khater’s fundraiser claims “The FBI and media are exploiting small fragments of videos of Julian and his co-defendant, George Tanios, without offering the full context. This is being done intentionally to provide a ‘convenient’ storyline that matches their interpretations (or misinterpretations).”
Tanios’ page makes the same claim.
There have been seven updates on Tanios’ fundraiser, the most recent on Nov. 13, in which Tanios writes about being able to leave his house.
“I was moved to curfew last week which allows me to go outside 7am-7pm. FREEDOM! Not being allowed outside for 87 days while I was on home incarceration, it is nice to be able to go walk the dogs and play with my kids,” he wrote.
However, the move to a curfew was bittersweet, Tanios said.
The update continued, “Going to our restaurant for the first time to clean up and figure out the next steps is pretty sad. After 15 years grinding daily in a profession I truly loved doing, this is uncharted waters for me. For the first time in 21 years, I am unemployed and will not [be] my own boss. This is not all sad however. I am always up for a challange and by God’s grace I will figure this out. My family supports me and I feel all your prayers and see all the letters I am still getting. Thank you all so much.”
He said he looked forward to his day in court and clearing his name against the fabricated charges.
“Life is all about the rebound. God is a Winner, I am a Winner, you all are Winners. That is why they hate us so much.
Please keep us all in your prayers. It is going to be a difficult Thanksgiving for the rest of 1/6ers stuck in pre-trial detention. It is hard time and they are political prisoners.
God Save America & God Bless You All,” the update ends.
Khater’s page has not posted any updates.
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