2023-05-10 19:49:42
Republican lawmaker George Santos, whose lies have made political and media headlines since his election in 2022, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with 13 financial fraud charges, to which he pleaded not guilty .
• Read also: Republican accused of lies George Santos indicted by federal justice
• Read also: US elected official who inflated resume sued for fraud in Brazil
• Read also: Republican elected to US Congress admits lying on resume
The 34-year-old New York state elected official, charged by a grand jury, appeared in federal court in Central Islip, east of the US megacity, and was released on $500 bond. 000 dollars, said a spokeswoman for the federal prosecutor’s office for the Eastern District of New York. He was called for an upcoming hearing on June 30.
George Santos has been charged with wire fraud, money laundering, embezzlement of public funds and making false statements to the House of Representatives, a statement from the prosecution said.
The maximum incurred for such charges is 20 years in prison.
The indictment also accuses him of defrauding campaign donors by transferring $50,000 in contributions to his personal bank account, money he allegedly used to pay off debts and buy luxury clothes. .
He is also accused of making financial misrepresentations to the House of Representatives regarding his assets and income.
He is also accused of having received $24,000 in unemployment benefits to which he was not entitled before his election to Congress.
“He misappropriated political donations to line his own pockets, illegally applied for unemployment benefits that should have been paid to New Yorkers who lost their jobs due to the pandemic, and lied to the House of Representatives,” explained New York District Attorney Breon Peace.
After his election in November, and following revelations from the New York Times, George Santos admitted to having grossly lied regarding whole parts of his life to embellish his CV, but he has since remained deaf to calls for his resignation.
Born to parents from Brazil, the one who presented himself as a symbol of the “American dream” was accused of having lied or of having exaggerated reality by presenting himself as “an American proud to be Jewish”, or even as the grandson of Holocaust survivors who fled Nazi barbarism.
It is the subject of multiple investigations, from Congress to Brazil.
Asked regarding the possible indictment of George Santos, the Republican leader of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy said Tuesday that he would look at “the charges” before considering any expulsion from Congress.
1683757596
#lies #elected #Republican #George #Santos #accused #fraud
