The charges against Rep. George Santos

Yesterday morning, House Rep. George Santos (R-NY) was arrested on more than a dozen federal criminal charges relating to fraud, money laundering, and theft of public funds.

Santos later appeared in a NYC court and pleaded not guilty to all 13 criminal counts, before surrendering his passport and being released on a $500,000 bond. If convicted on some or all of the charges, Santos could face up to 20 years in prison.

⚖️ The accusations: Federal prosecutors are alleging that Santos engaged in three fraudulent schemes dating back to 2020:

1. While running for Congress in 2022, he allegedly deceived political donors by claiming their funds would “exclusively” go towards his campaign, then transferring the money to his personal bank account.
2. Over an 11-month period starting in June 2020, Santos allegedly claimed more than $24,000 in fraudulent unemployment benefits while simultaneously working at a job that paid him ~$120,000/year.
3. Santos allegedly lied several times on House disclosure forms filed as part of his 2020 and 2022 campaigns, including overstating his income, failing to disclose his previous salary, and lying about deposits in bank accounts.

In comments following his release, Santos said he’s been cooperating with federal investigators and vowed to fight the charges, which he called a “witch hunt.” He also said he isn’t considering resigning from Congress, and still intends to run for reelection in 2024.

👀 Looking ahead… Santos is due to appear back in court on June 30. In the meantime, he’s still allowed to perform his normal duties in Congress, though he can’t be appointed to any committee posts while the case is ongoing.