US Congressman Santos, who made the headlines with his embellished CV, has been arrested. The Republican is accused, among other things, of using campaign funds for personal expenses.
US MP George Santos, who was highly controversial because of fictional details in his resume, has been arrested and charged with fraud in the state of New York.
A prosecutor’s office on Long Island, east of New York City, accuses the 34-year-old Republican of having swindled money from donors with false information. He deceived these financiers in order to enrich himself.
Prosecutor raises serious allegations
Designer clothes and paying off credit card debt were cited as examples. Prosecutor Breon Peace said Santos must be held accountable for alleged fraud and brazen misrepresentation.
In the indictment, Santos faces 13 counts of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements to the House of Representatives.
Numerous scams and allegations of cheating
Santos has been a member of the US House of Representatives for the New York City borough, which includes the boroughs of Queens and Long Island, since November. Since then, allegations of fraud and deception have overshadowed his tenure, because the Republican is said to have invented a large part of the CV with which he presented himself to voters in 2022.
In March it was also announced that the FBI was investigating him for the alleged misappropriation of donations. It was not initially known on which of the various investigations the accusation was based.
Questions about Santos finances
During the campaign, Santos stated that he was a wealthy Wall Street trader and had a sizeable real estate portfolio. In college he was, among other things, a successful volleyball player. In fact, he didn’t work for the big financial firms as claimed, he never went to college and had financial difficulties before running for office.
Questions about his finances also surfaced. In filings, Santos said he lent more than $750,000 to his campaign and related political organizations. It’s unclear how he made so much money so quickly after years of struggling to pay his rent and facing multiple eviction lawsuits.
Santos wants to run again in 2024
Santos pleaded not guilty at the first court hearing. The congressional freshman was subsequently released on $500,000 bail. “I will fight to prove my innocence,” Santos told journalists outside the courthouse.
He declined to resign and reiterated his intention to run again in the November 2024 congressional elections.
Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told CNN he would look at the charges before considering whether Santos should be removed from Congress.