Jorge Santos turned himself in to face the charges. Follow our live updates here.
New York Republican Rep. George Santos, the target of multiple investigations into his personal and campaign finances since his biography was found to be a web of lies and exaggerations, has been indicted by federal prosecutors in New York. The inquiry said.
After months of investigation by the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, Mr. It is conducting one of its investigations into Santos’ finances and campaign activities.
Mr. The specific charges against Santos, 34, are not yet clear. According to CNN, Mr. Santos is expected to appear in federal court as soon as Wednesday. First reported Accusations.
Mr. Santos came under intense scrutiny in the wake of a report last year by The New York Times that found he lied to voters about his resume, education and work history.
Appearing to have violated campaign finance laws, Mr. Evidence of potential misconduct was revealed, including an unregistered fund that allegedly raised large sums of money for Santos’ campaign. hundreds of thousands of dollars in unexplained expenses; and odd payments of $199.99, below the threshold requiring receipts.
The FBI, federal prosecutors and the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office are also investigating Mr. Santos’ role is being investigated. A $19 million luxury yacht deal was brokered between two of his wealthiest donors. and Securities and Exchange Commission, Mr. Santos was investigated for work done for troubled financial firm Harbor City Capital.
Mr. Santos also faces separate charges in Brazil of alleged check fraud; The hearing in this regard will be held on Thursday.
Mr. Santos, his attorney and a spokeswoman at his Washington office did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. The Justice Department and the FBI declined to comment, and a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Brooklyn could not be reached.
Mr. While Santos has admitted to falsifying much of his resume and exaggerating other claims, the congressman has stood by other outright fabrications and denied any criminal wrongdoing. He has maintained his innocence regarding questions about his campaign finances, saying responsibility for those filings lies with his campaign treasurer, Nancy Marks. Ms. Marks’ lawyer, Ray Perini, declined to comment Tuesday evening.
Elected in November to represent a district that includes parts of Long Island and Queens, Mr. Santos has insisted that he will not step down, despite several investigations and calls from his House colleagues for him to resign.
Mr. A timeline for any charges against Santos is not yet known. But Mr. Even if Santos is convicted of a crime, he can continue to serve in Congress. He can only be removed from office if two-thirds of the members of the House of Representatives vote to expel him.
Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California, who oversees the Republican Party’s most rigid majority, could face Mr. He said he would call for Santos to resign, but not before.
Mr. McCarthy noted that he had already asked Congress not to serve on the committees, but Mr. Santos said he deserves the right to fight the charges, just like other lawmakers accused in the past.
“We always follow the same pattern,” he said. “When a person is accused, they are not in groups, they have the right to vote, but they have to go to trial.”
“In America, you’re innocent until proven guilty,” he added.
However, Mr. Some of McCarthy’s Republican colleagues, including Mr. were less generous in their views of Santos. Already, about a dozen Republicans, along with scores of Democrats, have joined Mr. They have demanded that Santos step down. Many of them doubled down on calls for action on Tuesday.
Representative Mark Molinaro, Republican of New York, said, “There’s a clock ticking, and Jorge Santos should have resigned in December. “He should have resigned in January. He should have resigned yesterday, maybe he will resign today. But sooner or later, fairness and justice will be served.
In two votes held in the House on Tuesday night, Mr. Santos did not participate. Employees in his Washington office were suddenly told without explanation to go home that evening and work from home on Wednesday, a person familiar with the office said.
In the results of the House Ethics Committee’s investigation, Mr. McCarthy spent months in Congress as Mr. matched the fate of Santos. The panel, which was evenly split between Democrats and Republicans, said Mr. It is investigating whether Santos failed to properly fill out his financial disclosure forms, violated federal antitrust laws or engaged in other illegal activities during his 2022 campaign.
Last month, Mr. Santos announced that he would run for re-election. “I’m not going anywhere,” he told Republicans at an event in Washington. “You must drag my dead, cold body out of this institution.”
Reporting contributed Nicholas Fantos in New York, and Katie Edmondson, Glen Thrush And Luke Broadwater In Washington.
