Republican Representative George Santos Arrested for Fraud, Money Laundering, and Theft of Public Funds

George Santos, elected last year, had been in the crosshairs for several months and the revelation by the American media of many lies about his professional and personal life.

Thirteen charges, revealed on Wednesday, are brought against the 34-year-old elected official. He is notably accused of having defrauded potential political supporters by laundering funds to pay his personal expenses and of having illegally received unemployment benefits while employed.

He is also accused of making false statements to the House of Representatives regarding his assets, income and debts.

“Taken together, the allegations in the indictment accuse Santos of relying on repeated dishonesty and deceit to hoist himself through the halls of Congress and enrich himself,” said Breon Peace, attorney for the Eastern District of New York, in a statement.

“He used political contributions to line his own pockets, illegally 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,” he said. he added.

George Santos’ congressional office referred requests for comment to his defense. One of Santos’ attorneys did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the indictment.

“The charges have just come out”

Nine Republican lawmakers in the House of Representatives have so far called on George Santos to resign, including six from New York state where he is from. But Steve Scalise, the number two Republican in the House, said the caucus would not comment on the case of George Santos.

“The charges just came out,” Steve Scalise said at a press conference. “In America, there is a presumption of innocence, but these are serious charges. He will have to follow the legal process.”

Shortly after George Santos was elected in 2022 to represent the wealthy Long Island, New York area, the New York Times and other outlets revealed that he made up almost every aspect of his personal and professional history.

George Santos notably declared to be a graduate of New York University and Baruch College, while none of these establishments has any trace of his presence. He announced that he worked at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, which was also false. He falsely claimed to be Jewish, saying his grandparents escaped the Nazis during World War II.

George Santos, who identifies as gay, also failed to report being married to a woman for several years, until 2019. He has since admitted to fabricating large parts of his resume.

Some of the allegations in the indictment are closely related to those that are the subject of the investigation launched by the House Ethics Committee in March.