George Santos Is Facing Decades In Prison. Read The Indictment Here

On Wednesday, Representative George Santons (R-NY) was arrested by the FBI on 13 criminal charges, including wire fraud, money laundering, and making materially false statements to the House of Representatives.

In the indictment, prosecutors accuse Santos of undertaking a “fraudulent political contribution solicitation scheme,” alleging that he set up a company and got supporters to contribute funds to it under the false pretense that the money would benefit his political campaign and that thousands of dollars instead went his Santos’ personal expenses, including luxury designer clothing and credit card payments.

The criminal complaint puts Santos at the center of a scheme to dupe supporters into thinking their money would help his candidacy when the funds were not used for that purpose and actually were routed to a company he controlled.

As reported by CNN, Prosecutors allege that Santos directed another person – described only as “Person #1” in the indictment – to falsely tell prospective political contributors that their money would flow to a political nonprofit that could accept unlimited funds and would undertake television ads and other efforts to get him elected. But the money didn’t support his candidacy, prosecutors say. Instead, according to the indictment, Santos “converted most of the money to his personal benefit.”

The New York Republican has admitted to making some misleading claims about his education and financial status, but continues to deny the more serious allegations.

Santos faces 13 counts, including wire fraud and money laundering. He is expected to appear in federal court later today.

Santos could face more than 20 years in prison if convicted.

Read the full indictment below.