Republican Rep. George Santos pleaded not guilty Friday to the latest round of criminal charges against him, which include identity theft and unauthorized use of donor credit cards.
Santos previously pleaded not guilty to 13 federal counts in May, before a superseding 10-count indictment was filed earlier this month, requiring him to stand trial a second time.
If convicted on the main counts of the indictment, the new congressman faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, according to the Department of Justice.
George Santos faces 10 new federal charges, including identity theft and falsifying records
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Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty
On October 10, the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York announced 10 new charges against Santos.
“As alleged, Santos is accused of stealing people’s identities and charging his own donors’ credit cards without their approval, lying to the FEC and, by extension, the public about his campaign finances,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace.. “Santos falsely inflated reported campaign receipts with non-existent loans and contributions that were either faked or stolen.”
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In the initial indictment in May, federal prosecutors alleged that Santos “devised and executed a scheme” to defraud donors to his 2022 political campaign.
That alleged scheme involved filing for and receiving unemployment benefits at the height of the pandemic — while he was employed and campaigning for Congress. The fraud continued, the indictment added, when Santos allegedly began pocketing campaign contributions to buy designer clothes and pay off his personal debts.
NBC News reports that Santos’ trial is set for September 9, 2024.
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Santos was elected in November 2022 to represent a New York district made up of parts of Long Island and Queens.
He became the subject of controversy soon after, when he The The New York Times reported that he had misled voters about everything from his education level and previous jobs to his family ties to the Holocaust.
Santos admitted to some of the lies — such as saying he worked at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, which he didn’t, and saying he attended Baruch College and New York University, when he didn’t graduate — but many questions remained open.
Some of the mystery surrounding Santos centers on the source of his income, which has seemingly grown by hundreds of thousands of dollars in recent years.
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In January, Santos told colleagues that he would temporarily step down from his duties on the Small Business and Science committees while various investigations into his past unfold.
Despite the ongoing investigations, the newly minted lawmaker filed paperwork for his 2024 re-election campaign in March to retain his District 3 seat, according to the Federal Election Commission website.
Earlier this month, Santos’ former campaign treasurer pleaded guilty to a felony charge, though the specific charge (or charges) against her remain under seal.
As the Republican’s legal problems grow, so do calls for him to resign. Earlier this month, a group of New York Republicans introduced a resolution to impeach him. Although many lawmakers called on Santos to resign, the resolution marked the first official attempt by the Republican Party to expel him from Congress. The House will vote on the resolution next week.
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Source: HIS Education