CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) — U.S. Rep. George Santos, the New York Republican famous for fabricating key parts of his life story, was arrested Wednesday on federal criminal charges ahead of an expected court appearance.
The indictment says Santos induced his followers to donate to a company under the false pretense that the money would be used to support his campaign. Instead, he says, he used it for personal expenses, including luxury designer clothes and to pay off his credit cards.
Santos is also accused of lying about his finances on congressional disclosure forms and applying for and receiving unemployment benefits while working as a regional director for an investment firm and running for Congress.
U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said the indictment “seeks to hold Santos accountable for several alleged fraudulent schemes and blatant misrepresentations.”
“Taken together, the allegations in the indictment accuse Santos of relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend the halls of Congress and enrich himself,” Peace said.
Santos surrendered Wednesday and was expected to make an initial court appearance later in the day in federal court on Long Island.
Reached by The Associated Press on Tuesday, Santos said he was unaware of the charges.
Santos was elected to Congress last fall after a campaign based in part on falsehoods. He told people he was a wealthy Wall Street trader with a large real estate portfolio who had been a star volleyball player in college, among other things. He didn’t actually work at the big financial firms he said had hired him, didn’t go to college, and had struggled financially before running for public office.
Questions also arose about his finances. In regulatory filings, Santos said he lent more than $750,000 to his campaign and related political action committees, but it was unclear how he would have amassed that kind of wealth so quickly after years of struggling to pay the rent and was facing several eviction proceedings. .
On a financial disclosure form, Santos reported earning $750,000 a year from a family business, the Devolder Organization, but charges unsealed Wednesday allege Santos never received that sum, nor the 1 million and $5 million in dividends that he indicated came from the company. .
Santos has described the Devolder Organization as a broker for the sale of luxury items such as yachts and airplanes. The business was incorporated in Florida shortly after Santos quit working as a salesman for a company accused by federal authorities of operating an illegal Ponzi scheme.
Many of Santos’ fellow New York Republicans called on him to resign after his history of fabrications was revealed. Some renewed their criticism of him as news of the criminal case spread.
“Listen, George Santos should have resigned in December. George Santos should have resigned in January. George Santos should have resigned yesterday. And maybe he will resign today. But sooner or later, whether he chooses to or not no, both truth and justice will be delivered to him,” said U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro, a Republican who represents part of New York state.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was more circumspect, saying, “I think in America you’re innocent until proven guilty.”
Santos has faced criminal investigations before.
When he was 19, he was the subject of a criminal investigation in Brazil over allegations that he used stolen checks to buy items at a clothing store. Brazilian authorities said they have reopened the case.
In 2017, Santos was charged with theft in Pennsylvania after authorities said he used thousands of dollars in fraudulent checks to buy puppies from dog breeders. That case was dismissed after Santos claimed her checkbook had been stolen and that someone else had taken the dogs.
Federal authorities have been separately investigating complaints about Santos’ work to raise money for a group that sought to help abandoned and abused pets. A New Jersey veteran accused Santos of not handing over $3,000 he had raised to help his dog get needed surgery.
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Farnoush Amiri contributed to this report from Washington.
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