Lawmaker CHARGED – Feds Are Closing In!

(USNewsMag.com) – The Department of Justice has filed charges for 13 counts of fraud and money laundering against New York Rep. George Santos. Santos was arrested and appeared in court in Central Islip, New York May 10. The charges were filed in New York’s Eastern District.

Santos is accused of illegally using funds that he raised during his congressional campaign in 2022 for personal expenses as well as submitting false information about the source of the donations.

In November of 2022, Santos was elected to represent the 3rd Congressional District in New York. Since he was elected, it has been revealed that he lied about his background, including education and employment information. It was also revealed that he lied about his mother’s death on 9/11.

Since being elected he has also been investigated by the FBI for an alleged role in raising funds for an Iraq War veteran’s dying dog. A Go Fund Me was established by Santos using the charity, Friends of Pets United, to raise money to remove a tumor from the veteran’s dog, Sapphire. The veteran never received the $3,000 raised. Another investigation by federal prosecutors has been looking into Santos’ finances.

He has also been the subject of a House Ethics Committee investigation which is looking into whether or not he engaged in unlawful activity during the 2022 election in regard to his financial disclosure reports. The investigation comes after complaints were filed with the Federal Election Commission.

Before being elected, in 2017, Santos was questioned by the U.S. Secret Service regarding an international credit card fraud investigation.

Republicans and Democrats alike have called for his resignation. House Speaker and California Rep. Kevin McCarthy stated May 9 that if he was found guilty, he had told Santos he would need to resign.

Santos has not resigned and has announced a campaign for reelection in 2024. Campaigns for the seat have also been launched by Republican challenger, Kellen Curry, who is an Afghanistan veteran and Nassau County legislator Josh Lafazan, who is a Democrat.