Federal prosecutors say a Texas man tried to defraud former New York Rep. George Santos out of $900,000 by claiming he could get the criminal charges against Santos dropped.

Authorities say 39-year-old Hector Medina, of El Paso, was taken into custody Wednesday morning and charged with wire fraud after an investigation run by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.

Investigators say Medina, using an alias of Michael Soto, also tried to rip off a professional actor and a professional athlete with false promises of being able to help them avoid legal trouble.

According to a criminal complaint, Medina started sending text messages, photos and videos to Santos in June of 2023, saying in one message, "I can get everything dropped, evidence that is on you removed, disappeared. Reach out to me if you’re interested.”

One month earlier, Santos was charged with fraud, money laundering and theft of public funds.

A source close to Santos told NY1 the former congressman began receiving messages during a visit to Texas and the U.S.-Mexico border, and Santos later forwarded the messages to federal authorities.

In a text message to Santos in July, prosecutors say Medina claimed he would get all the charges against Santos dropped, writing, “All I need is for you or someone to wire 900k.”

Santos was expelled from Congress last December and was succeeded last week by Democrat Tom Suozzi. Accused of using money donated to his campaign for personal expenses, Santos has pleaded not guilty to the federal charges against him.

The FBI says Medina also tried to defraud “a publicly known actor who had been convicted of felonies in California in May 2023,” and a pro athlete “with false promises to help such persons in exchange for money.”

Medina is scheduled to appear in federal court Wednesday. His attorney did not immediately respond to NY1’s request for comment on the case.