Federal prosecutors formally charged Congressman George Santos on Tuesday (10) with stealing the identities of campaign donors and making fraudulent charges on their credit cards. Additionally, they allege that the New York Republican diverted money from his company and conspired with his former treasurer to falsify the total amount of donations received in order to meet the fundraising goals set by the Republican Party.
These 10 new charges against Santos made on Tuesday raise the total number of charges against him to 23. This latest round has a broader scope and provides new details about the allegation that Santos profited personally through his congressional campaign.
The charges also come days after Nancy Marks, who served as treasurer for Santos’s 2022 campaign, pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States by committing one or more federal crimes.
She admitted: “I submitted a first-quarter report for 2022 stating that $500,000 was loaned to the campaign by co-conspirator #1 and the money was not received at that time,” Marks said during her testimony. “As campaign treasurer, I knew that the loan had not been made at that time.”
In the filing made on Tuesday, New York prosecutors presented messages between Santos and Marks discussing their efforts to effectively deceive the Republican Party about the amount raised by the candidate. The goal of the lie was to show that Santos had raised the minimum necessary to qualify for additional financial support from the party itself.
In other words, it is concluded that the co-conspirator #1 mentioned by Marks is George Santos.
In May, when Santos appeared to respond to the initial 13 federal charges, he pleaded not guilty to all. These charges include electronic fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds, and false statements to the U.S. House of Representatives.
When asked about the charges filed on Tuesday, Santos told CNN: “I didn’t have access to my phone. I have no idea what you are talking about.”
After being indicted earlier this year, the congressman said he was “complacent throughout the process,” labeling the indictment as a “witch hunt” and said he would “fight my battle.”
He also stated that he would not resign.
Elected last year to represent a district that includes parts of Long Island and Queens, Santos has been investigated in multiple jurisdictions and by the House Ethics Committee. The congressman admitted to making some misleading claims about his education and financial situation but continues to deny the more serious allegations. He has not admitted to any crime thus far.
In fact, he announced in April that he would seek re-election in 2024 to represent New York’s 3rd Congressional District.
The new charges against Santos are another blow to Republicans on Capitol Hill, who are already experiencing turmoil after a small group of their own members paved the way to oust Kevin McCarthy from the position of Speaker of the House last week.
Santos, the son of a Brazilian immigrant, is part of a class of newly elected Republicans in New York who helped the party secure a narrow majority in the House in the 2022 midterm elections, and whose fate will be crucial to maintaining that majority in 2024.
Source: CNN