Republican Congressman George Santos has pleaded not guilty to charges of fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and false statements, appearing in federal court in New York on Wednesday. The 13-count indictment follows a campaign in which Santos lied about his background, including falsely claiming to have been a Wall Street dealmaker and a star college athlete. Santos has previously been investigated by the House ethics committee. His attorney said he still plans to run for re-election, with Santos vowing to clear his name. He has agreed to bail of $500,000 and will next appear in court on 30 June.
The indictment, issued by the US attorney’s office for the eastern district of New York, outlines three separate alleged fraudulent schemes allegedly conducted by Santos, including one in which he and an unnamed consultant induced donors to give money used to pay for luxury goods and personal debts. The second scheme involved unemployment benefits fraud during the Covid-19 pandemic, with Santos accused of having applied for government assistance despite being employed and receiving a $120,000 salary from an investment firm in Florida. The third scheme involved Santos misleading the House about his financial situation, overstating a source of income without disclosing his salary during his first run for Congress. He is accused of making false statements during his second, successful, run for the House.
The maximum sentence for the conviction of the top count is 20 years. However, Santos will not have to relinquish his seat, though members of Congress who are sentenced to at least two years cannot vote or be on committees. Republicans hold a razor-thin majority in the House, and Santos was a key vote in the election of Kevin McCarthy as Speaker.
Prior to the indictment, Santos was being investigated by the House ethics committee, which rarely disciplines members. If found guilty, McCarthy has said he would ask Santos to resign. Santos, who was elected after falsely claiming to be a wealthy Wall Street dealmaker and a star college athlete, did not work at the firms he claimed and did not attend college. Prosecutors allege that Santos falsely claimed to have had a $750,000 salary, as well as dividends of between $1 million and $5 million from his company, the Devolder Organisation, and to have between $1 million and $5 million in savings.
In court, Santos surrendered his passport and was granted limited permission to travel to Long Island, New York City, and Washington, DC. Travel elsewhere will require advance notice. His next court appearance is due on 30 June.
