US Representative George Santos, a Republican from New York, pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to 13 federal crimes following an indictment by a grand jury. The charges against Santos include alleged involvement in campaign finance schemes and fraudulent receipt of unemployment benefits.
Santos, who was elected to the House of Representatives for New York’s Third Congressional District in November, is facing seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making false statements to the House.
According to the indictment, Santos is accused of orchestrating a fraudulent scheme between September and October 2022. He allegedly deceived his campaign supporters into contributing funds to an unnamed company managed by his own company, Devolder Organization LLC, by misrepresenting that the donations were intended for his campaign. However, the Department of Justice (DOJ) alleges that Santos diverted these funds for personal use.
The indictment further specifies that in counts one through five of wire fraud, Santos and an unnamed individual sent emails and text messages on behalf of the unnamed company to solicit funds from campaign supporters. In counts six through eight, it is alleged that Santos transferred funds obtained through the wire fraud scheme to his personal bank accounts between October 21 and October 26, 2022.
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Additionally, count nine of the indictment accuses Santos of embezzling over $1,000 in US Treasury funds by fraudulently applying for COVID pandemic-related unemployment benefits. The DOJ claims that Santos dishonestly obtained these funds between June 2020 and April 2021. Counts 10 and 11 further allege that he acquired these funds by making false and fraudulent statements to the New York State Department of Labor (NYS DOL).
Moreover, counts 12 and 13 assert that Santos submitted false income information in two House Disclosure Reports filed ahead of the 2020 and 2022 House of Representatives elections.
Commenting on the case, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Breon Peace, stated that the indictment outlines a pattern of dishonesty and deceit employed by Santos to secure his position in Congress and enrich himself. Peace emphasized Santos’s alleged misuse of political contributions for personal gain, fraudulent receipt of unemployment benefits meant for pandemic-affected individuals, and false statements made to the House of Representatives.
Santos is scheduled to make his initial court appearance later on Wednesday to address the charges brought against him.
The indictment and subsequent plea of not guilty have generated significant public interest and raised questions about ethical standards and accountability within the political sphere. As the legal proceedings unfold, all eyes will be on the courtroom, awaiting further developments in this high-profile case that could have implications for Santos’s political career and the wider political landscape.