George Santos beforehand confronted calls to resign after it was claimed he repeatedly lied on the marketing campaign path
Scandal-hit Republican Congressman George Santos has been arrested in New York for a spread of federal costs, together with fraud, cash laundering, and the theft of public funds, the US Justice Division has confirmed.
A 13-count indictment, which was unsealed on Wednesday, alleges that Santos “embezzled contributions from supporters, fraudulently obtained unemployment advantages, and lied in disclosures to the Home of Representatives,” in response to a press launch printed on the DoJ’s web site on Wednesday.
Santos relied on “repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself,” Breon Peace, US Lawyer for the Japanese District of New York, mentioned within the assertion. “He used political contributions to line his pockets [and] unlawfully utilized for unemployment advantages that ought to have gone to New Yorkers who had misplaced their jobs as a result of pandemic,” Peace added.
Among the many allegations, the indictment claims that Santos defrauded supporters below the false pretense that donations could be spent in help of his electoral marketing campaign final 12 months. Nonetheless, it says that these funds have been as a substitute funneled in the direction of his “private bills, together with luxurious designer clothes and bank card funds.”
Santos’ congressional workplace or authorized counsel haven’t but formally commented on his arrest. He’s anticipated to look at a federal court docket in New York afterward Wednesday. It’s not but clear if he will probably be required to register a plea or if he’ll accomplish that at a later court docket date.
The arrest of the Republican congressman from New York is the newest blemish on Santos’ political monitor document. After his election to symbolize a predominantly rich part of New York’s Lengthy Island in 2022, it was revealed in reporting by the New York Instances and different publications that Santos had fabricated quite a few components of his background.
Santos falsely acknowledged that he had achieved a level from New York College, whereas claims that he had labored at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup have been additionally confirmed to be unfaithful. He additionally fabricated that he was of Jewish descent and falsely mentioned that his grandparents had escaped persecution by the Nazis throughout World Warfare II. The politician, who has mentioned he’s homosexual, additionally did not disclose that he was married to a girl for a number of years in a wedding that led to 2019.
Santos admitted to mendacity about huge components of his declared private {and professional} historical past, although he has beforehand rejected claims of felony wrongdoing.
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