On Wednesday, Republican Rep. George Santos was arrested on numerous charges that include money laundering, wire fraud, theft of public funds, and making false statements to Congress. He is expected to appear in federal court for an arraignment on Wednesday afternoon.
The freshman member of Congress is facing 13 charges total, according to an unsealed indictment announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York.
The 13 charges include: three counts of money laundering, seven counts of wire fraud, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making materially false statements to the U.S. House.
This is not the first sign of trouble with Santos though, as he has been under extreme scrutiny since he took office for large portions of his resume being fabricated. He was also caught in many lies in addition to his resume, like his mother’s death, his “Jewish heritage,” and even claiming that he lost four employees in the Pulse nightclub shooting.
George Santos has just been arrested and changed with fraud and money laundering
Thoughts ??? pic.twitter.com/ZF7L81MKiT
— Trumps Nephew (@ForgiatoBlow47) May 10, 2023
Breitbart reports:
Santos has falsely claimed that he graduated from Baruch college, worked for CitiGroup and Goldman Sachs, that his mother died in the September 11 terrorist attacks, and more.
When confronted about some of his claims in December, weeks after winning his race, the congressman admitted to “embellishing” his life story in an interview with Fox News host Tulsi Gabbard.
“I made a mistake, and I think humans are flawed and we all make mistakes,” Santos said at the time.
He added, “I’m having to admit this on national television for the whole country to see, and I have the courage to do so because I believe that in order to move past this and move forward and be an effective member of Congress, I have to face my mistakes, and I’m facing them.”
The charges that Santos faces are in relation to incidents that occurred between 2020 to 2022.
The most severe charges could land him upwards of 20 years in prison.
“This indictment seeks to hold Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations,” stated Breon Peace, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York. “Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself.
