Republican Rep. George Santos, best known for his difficulty with the truth, is now facing 13 criminal counts including wire fraud and money laundering. Federal prosecutors allege that he duped supporters into giving him money which he then spent on designer clothes and credit card payments. On Wednesday, Santos surrendered to law enforcement at a federal court on Long Island.
Prosecutors claim that instead of using campaign donations for political purposes, Santos spent "thousands of dollars of the solicited funds on personal expenses." He has been charged with seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds and two counts of making materially false statements to the House Representatives.
The FBI and Justice Department have been investigating his financial disclosures after raising hundreds-of-thousands in campaign contributions during his race for New York's 3rd Congressional District. Despite pressure from both sides aisle, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy stated he would only call for Santos' resignation if found guilty -- not before.
George Santos won a pivotal victory as a Republican in New York back in 2008 but now faces charges related to allegations that he directed an unnamed political consultant to solicit fraudulent contributions to a company falsely claimed as being part-funded by politics. The indictment also accuses him of fraudulently claiming unemployment benefits available during the coronavirus pandemic.
Santos denies any criminal wrongdoing while admitting lying about attending college and working prestigious Wall Street firms in previous interviews. The U.S Attorney office leading inquiries into his financial activities will prosecute this case against him.
As it stands today: Rep.George Santo (R-N.Y.) has been accused using earmarked campaign donations purchasing designer clothing himself indicted on 13 federal charges relating misleading donors misrepresenting finances government agencies comprising seven counts wire-fraud three-money-laundering one-theft-public-funds two-making-materially-false-statements House Representatives If convicted all charges, he could face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Santos' tenure in the House has been marred with criticism after it was revealed that much of his resume and personal experience were fabricated.