Federal prosecutors have slapped Representative George Santos (R-NY) with a fresh set of felony charges, accusing him of stealing donors’ identities and racking up thousands of dollars in fraudulent charges on their credit cards.
This superseding indictment, now totaling a whopping 23 charges, paints a broader picture of the legal storm engulfing the New York Republican.
This development follows the recent guilty plea of Nancy Marks, his former treasurer, who admitted to conspiracy to defraud the United States.
The laundry list of charges includes allegations that Santos embezzled cash from his own company and conspired with his former campaign treasurer, Nancy Marks, to cook the books and hit lofty fundraising targets set by national Republicans.
Marks, during her formal address to the court, revealed deceptive practices involving false loan claims in campaign reports. Prosecutors presented messages between Santos and Marks detailing their scheme to deceive the GOP into providing additional support by inflating fundraising totals. In May, Santos pleaded not guilty to the initial 13 charges, encompassing wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds, and false statements to the House of Representatives.
What’s more, prosecutors revealed a trove of damning messages between Santos and Marks, laying bare their efforts to deceive the GOP into bolstering Santos with additional support by inflating their fundraising totals.
When pressed on whether he’d consider resigning, Santos fired back with a resolute “No,” claiming ignorance of the allegations due to a lack of phone access.
Despite being under investigation by multiple jurisdictions and the House Ethics Committee, Santos remains defiant, doubling down on his intention to seek reelection in 2024 to represent New York’s 3rd Congressional District.
