Who paid the $500,000 to bail George Santos out of jail? We'll probably find out on Thursday.

• A group of three people are on the hook for $500,000 to keep Rep. George Santos out of jail.
• The scandal-plagued congressman has fought hard to keep their identities secret.

America is about to find out who bailed Republican Rep. George Santos of New York out of jail after he was indicted on federal charges last month.

On Thursday at noon Eastern Time, documents revealing the identities of the three people who paid the scandal-plagued congressman's $500,000 bond will be unsealed after US District Judge Joanna Seybert denied Santos' most recent appeal.

The order, entered late on Tuesday, allows the congressman two days to find new suretors for his bail if the original individuals wish to have their names remain secret.

Santos has fought hard to keep the identities of those individuals secret, with his lawyer arguing in a recent court filing that "the political temperature in this Country and acts of political violence that occur" necessitates it.

According to federal prosecutors, Santos personally stole donations to his Long Island campaign operation, illegally took pandemic employment funds, and lied to Congress on financial disclosure documents.

The judge allowed Santos to walk free instead of going to jail ahead of trial on the condition that he stays in Washington, DC and New York, and agrees to a $500,000 bond. Three people signed up to be guarantors for the bond. But in a highly unusual decision, the magistrate judge who imposed the bond allowed the identities of those bail sponsors to remain secret.

In court filings, Santos's lawyer Joseph Murray has indicated that at least one bail sponsor was a family member, but feared they would back out of the bond if their identities were disclosed. One of the three people who originally agreed to sponsor the bond already dropped out, Murray said.

Some have raised questions as to whether the bond was paid — including partially or indirectly — by Guo Wengui, an exiled Chinese billionaire facing federal fraud charges that Santos began to vocally defend shortly before his indictment.

In recent weeks, Santos has continued to align himself with Guo's cause, including attending an event held at a mansion associated with the billionaire and even introducing a bill that he dubbed the "GUO Act."