George Santos Slapped With 23 Federal Charges, Including Identity Theft and Credit Card Fraud
Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) was hit with a 23-count superseding indictment on Tuesday in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
The Long Island congressman was charged with conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States, wire fraud, making materially false statements to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), falsifying records submitted to obstruct the FEC, aggravated identity theft, money laundering, theft of public funds, and making materially false statements to the United States House of Representatives that were charged in the original indictment.
“As alleged, Santos is charged with stealing people’s identities and making charges on his own donors’ credit cards without their authorization, lying to the FEC and, by extension, the public about the financial state of his campaign,” stated United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace. “Santos falsely inflated the campaign’s reported receipts with non-existent loans and contributions that were either fabricated or stolen.”
“The defendant – a Congressman – allegedly stole the identities of family members and used the credit card information of political contributors to fraudulently inflate his campaign coffers,” added Long Island’s Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly, a Republican.
In May, Santos was arrested and originally charged with 13 criminal counts, including wire fraud, money laundering, and lying to Congress. He pleaded not guilty on all 13 charges.
Multiple people have alleged that Santos’ prolific scamming included credit card fraud, donation theft, and potential campaign finance violations.
In December of last year, federal investigators in the Eastern District of New York indicated they had initiated an investigation centered around Santos’ campaign finances. “The numerous fabrications and inconsistencies associated with Congressman-Elect Santos are nothing short of stunning,” Donnelly said at the time.
Santos is due back in federal court in Central Islip on Oct. 27, 2023.
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