New York Rep.George Santospleaded not guilty to 13 criminal counts in federal court on Wednesday after investigatorsunsealed an indictment hours earlier, which charged him 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 of Representatives.
If convicted, the freshman Republican congressman faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the top counts, according to the Justice Department.
Santos surrendered to federal authorities at a suburban Long Island courthouse Wednesday morning ahead of a scheduled 1 p.m. ET arraignment before a U.S. magistrate judge in Central Islip, New York. He will be released on $500,000 bond, theAssociated Pressreports.
Santos maintains that he has no plans to resign from Congress.
Inan unsealed indictment, federal prosecutors say he allegedly “devised and executed a scheme” aimed at defrauding donors to his 2022 political campaign.
That scheme, prosecutors allege, included applying for and receiving unemployment benefits at the height of the pandemic — while he was employed and running a Congressional campaign. The fraud continued, the indictment adds, when Santos allegedly began pocketing campaign contributions to buy designer clothing and pay off his personal debts.
Rep. George Santos leaves a Long Island courthouse after his May 10 arraignment.Matt Agudo / SplashNews.com
Breon Peace, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in astatement: “This indictment seeks to hold Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations.”
Santos, Peace alleged, “used political contributions to line his pockets, unlawfully applied for unemployment benefits that should have gone to New Yorkers who had lost their jobs due to the pandemic, and lied to the House of Representatives.”
A protestor stands outside of the federal courthouse in Central Islip, New York, where George Santos was arraigned.AP Photo/Seth Wenig
The charges come months after a bombshellNew York Timesreport raised questions about the Republican lawmaker’s background.
Santos was elected in November to represent a New York district made up of parts of Long Island and Queens.
He became the subject of controversy soon after, when theTimesreported that he had misled voters about everything from his level of education and previous jobs to family ties to the Holocaust.
Rep. George Santos.Alex Wong/Getty
Santos has said the funds given to his campaign came from his company, the Devolder Organization, whichThe Washington Posthas reported was organized just one month before the Republican declared his latest candidacy in 2021.
Santos himself hasacknowledged that he has “embellished” significant portions of his resume, telling theNew York Postthat he lied about working at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, as he had previously asserted, and about attending Baruch College and New York University (he did not attend college).
But he has been less candid about the source of his campaign funding, telling reporters in January that he had no role in amending financial disclosures provided to the Federal Election Commission earlier this year.
“Let’s make it very clear. I don’t amend anything. I don’t touch any of my FEC stuff, so don’t be disingenuous and report that I did,” Santos said, theAssociated Pressreports. “Every campaign hires fiduciaries, so I’m not aware of that answer, but we will have an answer for the press regarding the amendments from yesterday.”
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In January, Santos told colleagues he wouldtemporarily resignfrom his assignments on the Small Business and Science Committees while various investigations into his past play out.
Despite the ongoing investigations, the freshman lawmakerfiled paperwork for his 2024 reelectioncampaign in March to keep his District 3 seat, according to theFederal Election Commission website.
source: people.com
