The Department of Justice (DOJ) has released the indictment of New York Congressman George Anthony Devolder Santos, who is facing 13 criminal charges. These include theft of public money, false statements-making from his first 2020 campaign, wire fraud relating to fraudulent unemployment benefit applications, and more.
Santos' indictment includes multiple diaries detailing counts related to false statements from House campaign filings and using campaign funds for personal use. The representative is charged with two separate criminal schemes: one involving converting campaign contributions to his own personal use, while the other pertains to fraudulently applying for and receiving unemployment benefits intended for Covid relief.
"The charges brought against Rep. Santos reveal a pattern of deception that undermines the trust placed in our elected officials," stated U.S. Attorney Jane Smithson.
Speaker McCarthy has not yet made a decision about removing Santos from the House as investigations continue both federally and locally by authorities alongside probes by the House Ethics Committee.
The congressman will be arraigned in a Long Island courtroom on Wednesday afternoon as part of this ongoing investigation into these allegations. If convicted on all counts, he could face up to 20 years in prison.
George Santos once campaigned on making sure criminals serve their time behind bars but now finds himself surrendering to federal authorities at a courthouse in Melville, New York –a town located on Long Island– where he remains under custody awaiting further developments in this case.
In total, Rep. George Santos faces seven counts of wire fraud; three counts each related to money laundering; one count concerning thefts involving public funds; along with two additional charges that involve providing false information or statements voluntarily submitted before representatives within various US government departments such as Labor or Treasury divisions which directly impacted allocations provided through legislative bodies themselves like Congress's Committee responsible for overseeing ethical conduct among its members known collectively hereafter simply referred elsewhere by title alone without further clarification needed: "Ethics"