US Congressman George Santos, who was the subject of much controversy over fabricated details in his resume, has been charged with fraud in New York State and taken into custody. A public prosecutor’s office on Long Island, east of New York, accuses the 34-year-old Republican of having fraudulently obtained money from donors with false information. He deceived these financiers in order to enrich himself. Santos was expected to appear before a court on Wednesday for the official indictment.
In the indictment, Santos faces 13 counts of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements to the House of Representatives.
Santos has been a member of the US House of Representatives since November
Santos has been a member of the US House of Representatives for the New York City borough, which includes the boroughs of Queens and Long Island, since November. Since then, allegations of fraud and deception have overshadowed his tenure, because the Republican is said to have invented a large part of the CV with which he presented himself to voters in 2022. In March it was also announced that the FBI was investigating him for the alleged misappropriation of donations. It was not initially known on which of the various investigations the accusation was based.
Despite repeated calls for his resignation from Democrats and individual Republicans, Santos announced in mid-April that he wanted to run again in the congressional elections in November 2024. Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told CNN he would look at the charges before considering whether Santos should be removed from Congress.
