A Republican congressman whose lies have garnered him headlines since his election last year will face additional charges filed Tuesday by federal prosecutors.
George Santos, 35, the son of Brazilian immigrants, pleaded not guilty in May to seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds and two of materially false statements to the House of Representatives.
Prosecutors filed 10 additional charges against Santos on Tuesday, including identity theft and making false statements to the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
“Santos is accused of stealing people’s identities and running charges on his own donors’ credit cards without their consent, lying to the FEC and, by extension, to the public about the financial situation of his campaign,” the prosecutor said. District of New York, Breon Peace.
“Santos inflated the reported receipts of the campaign with no credits and also had fabricated or stolen contributions,” Kalinaw explained in a statement.
Santos is scheduled to appear in court on October 27 and answer the accusations.
He has admitted to making up much of his resume, including his real name or his religion — he says he’s Jewish — his education and his employment history when he ran last year for a seat. at Home for Long. Island, New York.
According to the initial indictment, Santos defrauded donors to his successful November 2022 election by transferring money to his own account and used it to pay personal debts and buy designer clothes.
He was also accused of collecting unemployment benefits to which he was not entitled during the coronavirus pandemic, before his election.
Prosecutors allege he pocketed $24,000 in profits while making $120,000 a year at a Florida-based investment firm.
Other representatives, both Republicans and Democrats, asked him to resign his seat, which he has not done so far.
