Topline
Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), whose former treasurer recently pleaded guilty to a federal fraud charge, was hit with another round of charges Tuesday, with prosecutors alleging the disgraced congressman engaged in two schemes that involved the stealing of donors’ identities and financial information.
Santos recently pleaded guilty last week to a federal fraud charge. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc … [+]
Key Facts
Santos was charged with ten criminal counts including one count of conspiracy to commit offenses against the U.S., two counts of wire fraud, two counts of making materially false statements to the Federal Election Commission, two counts of falsifying records submitted to obstruct the FEC, two counts of aggravated identity theft and one count of access device fraud.
Prosecutors allege Santos took part in a “party program scheme” alongside his former campaign treasurer, Nancy Marks, who pleaded guilty to a federal fraud count last week.
Santos and Marks allegedly submitted false reports containing inflated campaign fundraising numbers to qualify for a national party committee program that would have provided financial and logistical support for Santos’ campaign.
Prosecutors also accused Santos of charging donors’ credit cards repeatedly without authorization and sending money to his campaign, other candidates’ campaigns and to his own bank account, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
Santos will report to federal court in New York on October 27.
A representative for Santos did not immediately respond to Forbes’ request for comment.
Big Number
$44,800. That’s how much Santos allegedly attempted to make in charges with donors’ cards.
Tangent
Santos used more than half of an approximate $133,000 raised for his campaign to repay a loan he used to fund his previous election run. Though not anything out of the ordinary, the congressman’s campaign was left with about $55,000 in cash after the loan repayment and a separate $16,600 raised by his Devolder Santos Victory Committee.
Key Background
Santos pleaded not guilty to 13 federal charges in May accusing him of fraud and money laundering. Specifically, Santos was accused of orchestrating a scheme to defraud contributors to his House campaign through donations to a Florida-based LLC under false pretenses the money would reach his campaign. He was also accused of falsifying financial statements to the House and applying for unemployment benefits in the state of New York for almost a year despite being employed and making about $120,000 annually. The congressman was released on a $500,000 bond and faces up to 20 years in prison for the top counts.
Further Reading
George Santos Pleads Not Guilty To Fraud Charges (Forbes)
George Santos’ Former Campaign Treasurer Pleads Guilty To Federal Fraud Charge (Forbes)
CORRECTION (10/10): This story has been updated to note it was Santos’ former campaign treasurer who pleaded guilty to a federal fraud charge.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2023/10/10/george-santos-indicted-on-ten-additional-charges-and-accused-of-stealing-donors-identities/