Freshman Republican from New York has been under intense scrutiny for dubious claims about his life and business experience
Federal prosecutors filed criminal charges against George Santos, the freshman Republican congressman from New York who lied about his background and accomplishments during his 2022 campaign, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The charges are under seal in a New York federal courthouse, and it was not immediately known what crime or crimes Santos is alleged to have committed. The people familiar with the matter spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the matter’s sensitivity.
Santos did not respond to a text message seeking comment. A spokeswoman and an attorney for the congressman also did not respond. A spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York declined to comment.
The federal allegations mark the latest chapter in a saga that has put Santos, 34, under a bright spotlight in Washington and beyond. The lies he told voters, in a district stretching from parts of Long Island to Queens, only unraveled after his November victory. He apologized for what he called “résumé embellishment.”
But some of the scrutiny has been aimed at more serious potential wrongdoing, including allegedly misrepresenting his campaign’s finances and deceiving people for his financial gain. Federal prosecutors’ decision to charge Santos was first reported by CNN.
House Ethics Committee launches investigation of Rep. George Santos
Santos has been the subject of multiple investigations. Prosecutors and federal agents have been scrutinizing Santos’s campaign finance reports and a host of related questions about his personal finances. Of particular interest to authorities is how his income seemed to fluctuate significantly, as well as a loan he made to his campaign of more than $700,000, according to people familiar with the matter.
He also came under fire for allegedly pocketing $3,000 from a GoFundMe page he purportedly set up for a homeless veteran to help pay for surgery for the man’s dying service dog. Meanwhile, the Securities and Exchange Commission has interviewed people about Santos’s role in Harbor City Capital, an investment firm that was forced to shut down in 2021 after the SEC accused it of operating a “classic Ponzi scheme.”
The agency’s interest in speaking with those people came after they were quoted in The Washington Post describing how Santos solicited an investment in Harbor City at an Italian restaurant in Queens in late 2020.
Wide-ranging complaints filed by watchdog groups with the Federal Election Commission earlier this year accused Santos of misrepresenting campaign spending and using campaign resources to cover personal expenses, among other allegations. In January, the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section asked the FEC to hold off on any enforcement action against Santos, suggesting that prosecutors were examining overlapping issues.
In March, a House ethics panel said it would investigate Santos and established a bipartisan subcommittee to examine claims about the freshman congressman, including about his past business practices, campaign finance expenditures and an allegation of sexual misconduct.
The congressman’s fabrications touched nearly every aspect of his life, from his family background to his academic pedigree and work experience.
Santos said his mother was inside one of the World Trade Center towers when they were attacked on Sept. 11, 2001, but immigration records indicate that his mother wasn’t in the United States on that day. He claimed to have worked for high-powered Wall Street firms that denied employing him. He even falsely claimed to have been a star on his college volleyball team.
Rep. Santos, whose lies triggered investigations, to seek reelection
Republican leaders in his district and members of New York’s congressional delegation called on him to resign, but Santos refused. After initially dodging cameras and refusing interviews in the halls of Congress, the lawmaker came to embrace his notoriety. He threw in with the far-right faction of his party and endorsed former president Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign. Last month, he announced that he would seek reelection.
At a January event hosted at the Conrad Hotel by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for donors and new members of Congress, Santos was asked how he was faring, according to two people present.
“This is an event for the new speaker, but I’m the most famous person in the room,” he replied.
