New York, New York - The mystery benefactors behind Representative George Santos' $500,000 bail will be revealed soon enough, a magistrate judge ruled on Tuesday, dealing yet another legal loss for the beleaguered Republican.

Judge Anne Shields ruled in favor of a group of media organizations, including The New York Times, which argued that the identities of three people who guaranteed Santos' bond should be made public.

Bombshell reports in May had uncovered that these individuals appeared at a secret court hearing, for which there were no court records.

Santos was released on bail immediately after being indicted on 13 charges – among them fraud, theft, and filing false statement.

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He and his legal team have since fought tooth and nail to keep the identities of his guarantors a secret. On Monday, they went as far as to say they preferred Santos going to jail to having the names publicized.

"Here in the instant case, the suretors are likely to suffer great distress, may lose their jobs, and God forbid, may suffer physical injury," a letter to the judge claimed.

That wasn't convincing enough for Shields, who gave the New York politician until Friday to lodge an appeal. If the ruling isn't disputed or the appeal fails, the identities will be made public.

When CNN asked Santos on Tuesday why it's so important to him for that not to happen, he responded: "Because it is."