Representative George Santos, a Republican from Recent York, during a joint meeting of Congress with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, April 27, 2023.
Nathan Howard | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., was charged by federal prosecutors with an array of crimes, including fraud, theft, money laundering and making false statements.
Santos was arrested Wednesday morning and is currently in custody, the Department of Justice said. His arraignment was set for Wednesday afternoon in federal court in Long Island, Recent York.
“This indictment seeks to carry Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said in a press release.
“Taken together, the allegations on this indictment charge Santos with counting on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself,” Peace said.
The 13-count indictment alleges Santos spent campaign funds on luxury clothing and automotive payments, fraudulently received greater than $24,000 in unemployment advantages and reported false income and asset data on House disclosure forms.
A spokeswoman for Santos’ office referred CNBC to the congressman’s counsel, who didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.
The criminal charges follow a mountain of scandals which have weighed Santos down since before he was sworn into Congress in January. The freshman Republican weeks earlier announced his 2024 reelection campaign, rebuffing critics from each parties who had called for his resignation.
Santos faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the highest charges against him, in keeping with the Justice Department.
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