New York Republican Rep. George Santos is in federal custody after the Justice Department unsealed a 13-count indictment resulting in his arrest.
According to CNN, his charges include 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 of Representatives. Santos, who gained notoriety through his outlandish comments and over-exaggeration of his experience and knowledge in the political landscape, is expected to appear in federal court in New York’s Eastern District later today.
Santos is being accused of using money supplied by his supporters to fund his lavish lifestyle before his election to Congress and telling mistruths to gain sympathy. According to the indictment, he “executed a scheme to defraud supporters of his candidacy for the House and to obtain money from them by fraudulently inducing them to contribute funds” to an LLC he ran under the pretense that the cash would be used to support his candidacy. Instead, the Congressman spent “thousands of dollars of the solicited funds on personal expenses, including luxury designer clothing and credit card payments,” according to Insider.
Then there were more alleged lies.
After officially taking office in 2023, reports began to surface about several key aspects of his background, used to aid in his election, being false. The lies included the circumstances surrounding the death of his mother, his employment history, and two universities he claimed to be an alumnus of—which he later denied attending. Running on Trump-era talking points—promises to restore the “greatness” of the country and to “take it back” from outsiders—Santos had clear intentions to vie for reelection in 2024 before his indictment. Positing himself alongside right-wing trolls hasn’t seemed to work to his benefit, as many in the Republican Party have motioned to have him step down from his position. “I would love to see someone new run because I can tell you that we will hold that seat and so the sooner Santos leaves, the sooner we can get someone in there that is not a liar,” New York Rep. Nicole Malliotakis said, according to CNN.
Santos is not afraid of losing his seat in Congress, even in the face of these charges. He will still be allowed to participate in congressional proceedings and considerations.