NY Congressman Santos charged by federal prosecutors

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
10 May 2023 09:35

The New York representative is scheduled to be arraigned on various unspecified charges on Wednesday.

George Santos speaking at a press conference (AFP)

Federal prosecutors in New York have filed charges against Congressman George Santos, the troubled House Republican who has been under investigation by the Justice Department for months over concerns over his 2022 campaign and financial activities, as per people familiar with the matter.

Because it is still under secrecy, the indictment's precise nature—which CNN has previously reported—is unknown.

Santos is anticipated to surrender to law enforcement as soon as Wednesday morning at the federal court in Brooklyn. He'll probably make his first court appearance at the arraignment, where the charges against him are anticipated to be made public.

Santos was told of the allegations on Tuesday, hours before they were publicly published. Neither his congressional office spokesperson nor his lawyer responded to a request for comment, suggesting that the news of the indictment came as a surprise to Santos.

As part of a criminal investigation into whether Santos improperly used cash for non-election-related reasons, the US attorney's office for the eastern district of New York and the FBI have been pursuing multiple lines of inquiry regarding Santos' federal campaign filings for months.

The inconsistencies in Santos' filings, as reported by media sources, were plain to see: 1,200 payments of $199.99, or two cents less than the amount for which receipts would be necessary, were made to an unregistered fund that helped Santos generate a significant amount of money and about $40,000 for travel.

Some donors claimed in interviews that Santos and his campaign misrepresented the amount of their contributions when they eventually updated the campaign finance filings, which they did 36 times. Some contributions later vanished totally from the record.

Among the discrepancies were strange payments of $11,000 to Cleaner 123 purportedly for "apartment rental for staff" for a residence on Long Island that neighbors told the New York Times in interviews that Santos had been living in himself.

Because Republicans hold a narrow House majority and Santos was a crucial vote for House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy to secure the speakership, Santos has so far avoided any serious political repercussions for his vast voter fraud.

McCarthy told reporters that if Santos is found guilty, he will urge him to quit. It is worth noting that Santos declared his bid for reelection in 2024 last month.

Santos, who represents a portion of Long Island, has been the subject of intense scrutiny following revelations that he fabricated parts of his biography and questions about his finances. The New York Republican has admitted to falsifying his resume but insists on remaining in Congress, claiming that his constituents sent him to Washington to serve.