Republican George Santos Faces 10 New Federal Charges
Disgraced Republican Congressman George Santos stole the identities of his campaign donors and then used their credit cards to ring up tens of thousands of dollars in unauthorized charges according to a new 23-count superseding indictment filed against Santos by federal prosecutors on Tuesday.
The 23-count indictment replaces one filed in May against the New York Republican charging him with embezzling money from his campaign and lying to Congress about his wealth, among other offenses.
The new indictment filed in the Eastern District of New York added 10 charges againstSantos including: conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, access device fraud, false statements to the Federal Election Commission, and falsifying records to obstruct the commission.
In the updated indictment, prosecutors accuse Santos of charging more than $44,000 to his campaign over a period of months using cards belonging to donors without their knowledge. In one case, he charged $12,000 to a supporter’s credit card and transferred the “vast majority” of that money into his personal bank account, prosecutors said.
Santos is also accused of falsely reporting to the Federal Elections Commission that he had loaned his campaign $500,000 when he actually hadn’t given anything and had less than $8,000 in the bank. The fake loan was an attempt to convince Republican Party officials that he was a serious candidate, worth their financial support, the indictment said.
“As alleged, Santos is charged with stealing people’s identities and making charges on his own donors’ credit cards without their authorization, lying to the FEC and, by extension, the public about the financial state of his campaign,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement.
When the news broke, Santos was in a meeting with a group of people sorting through almost as much chaos as Santos himself, the House Republican conference, and when the Congressman left the meeting he was met with a barrage of press.
When Santos was asked whether he would resign, he said: “No, I will not.”
The new charges deepen the legal peril for Santos, who likely faces a lengthy prison term if convicted.
