A former Republican lawmaker is facing jail time after pleading guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
George Santos, 36, of Queens, New York, was US representative for New York’s third congressional district from January to December 2023 before being expelled – the first Republican to have suffered such a fate.
Among the crimes he pleaded guilty to are:
- Credit card fraud: Between July 2020 and October 2022, Santos stole personal identity and financial information from campaign contributors, charging their cards repeatedly without authorization, according to the Department of Justice (DoJ). He falsely claimed to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) that some of these contributions were made by other people, such as relatives or associates, rather than the true cardholders
- Unemployment insurance fraud: Santos applied for COVID relief funds from mid-June 2020, falsely claiming to have been unemployed since March 2020. Despite receiving a salary as regional director of a Florida-based investment firm, he received more than $24,000 in unemployment insurance benefits until April 2021
- Defrauding political supporters: Santos instructed a political consultant to falsely tell prospective donors to his congressional campaign that their money would be used to help elect him. He transferred $50,000 from two supporters to personal bank accounts, using much of the money for personal expenses such as designer clothing, according to the DoJ
- Defrauding the FEC: Santos falsely claimed to the FEC that his congressional campaign had raised at least $250,000 from third-party contributors in a single quarter. By doing so, he was apparently able to meet a benchmark for gaining financial support from a national Republican party committee
- Making false statements to the House: Santos is also said to have made a House disclosure in which he vastly overstated his income and assets
Santos is due to be sentenced on February 7 2025. He faces a mandatory minimum of two years in prison and a maximum of 22 years, and must also pay restitution of $373,749 and forfeiture of $205,003.
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