George Santos: Lawbreaker Or Liar?

Newly elected congressman George Santos has been accused of breaking campaign finance laws, and is under investigation by local, state, federal, and international authorities. The New York Times reported that Santos fabricated much of his background, including his education, employment, and philanthropic history. These revelations sparked questions about Santos's finances, with experts speculating that he may have been using campaign funds for personal expenses. The Nassau County District Attorney's office in New York and the New York Attorney General's office are also looking into Santos's apparent fabrications and financial disclosures. While Santos has admitted to some embellishments, he has denied any unlawful behaviour.

Lying about his resume

George Santos, a Republican congressman from New York, has admitted to lying about his education and work experience on his resume. Santos claimed during his campaign that he had attended Baruch College and also studied at New York University. He also claimed to have worked at high-profile Wall Street firms Citigroup and Goldman Sachs. However, these institutions have no record of Santos' enrollment or employment. Santos has since confessed that he lied on his resume and did not graduate from any college or work directly for either company.

Santos also exaggerated his Jewish heritage, claiming that his maternal grandparents fled persecution in the Holocaust when they were actually born in Brazil. He later claimed that he had never called himself "Jewish" but rather "Jew-ish." Santos, who identifies as gay, also failed to disclose that he had recently divorced a woman.

In addition to the lies about his education and work experience, Santos also made false claims about his income, the number of properties he owned, and his charitable work. He claimed to have founded an animal rescue charity, Friends of Pets United, but no records of this organization exist. Santos also faced eviction notices himself at two properties he rented in Queens, owing more than $12,000 in unpaid rent.

Santos has apologized for embellishing his resume and insisted that he is "not a criminal." However, his actions have sparked investigations by federal, state, and local authorities, as well as in Brazil, where he is facing fraud charges for an incident that occurred in 2008.

Campaign finance violations

George Santos, a Republican congressman from New York, has been accused of several campaign finance violations. These allegations include:

• Concealing the true sources of his campaign funding: Santos claimed to have loaned his campaign over $700,000, but the origin of this money is unclear. The nonpartisan watchdog group Campaign Legal Center (CLC) alleged that Santos "knowingly and willfully" hid where the money came from.
• Misrepresenting campaign spending: Santos made dozens of payments of $199.99 using campaign funds, just one cent under the threshold for transactions that legally require a receipt. Over 90% of campaigns in 2022 did not report a single transaction between $199 and $200, but Santos recorded 40 such transactions. His 2022 campaign also racked up more than $365,000 in unexplained spending.
• Using campaign funds for personal expenses: Experts cited by the New York Times speculated that Santos was using campaign funds for personal expenses. The CLC's complaint also includes the allegation that Santos used campaign funds to pay for a personal residence.
• Credit card fraud: According to a federal grand jury indictment, Santos repeatedly charged the credit cards of campaign contributors without their authorization, transferring funds to his own bank account and to the campaigns of other candidates.
• Conspiracy to commit perjury: A House Ethics Committee investigation found substantial evidence that Santos committed perjury in filings with the FEC.
• Impersonation: A FEC complaint filed by the liberal nonprofit End Citizens United charged that a Santos aide impersonated Speaker Kevin McCarthy's chief of staff while soliciting contributions for Santos.

Santos has denied any wrongdoing and claimed that his campaign spending was normal and legal. However, he admitted to embellishing his resume, saying he added a "little bit of fluff" to be taken seriously by the local GOP. He has faced calls for his resignation, but as of October 2023, he has refused to step down. In November 2023, a federal grand jury indicted Santos on multiple charges, including wire fraud, making false statements to the FEC, and aggravated identity theft.

Fraud and theft

George Santos, a former congressman from New York, pleaded guilty to fraud and aggravated identity theft. He admitted to lying, stealing, and conning people. He also admitted to filing fraudulent FEC reports, embezzling funds from campaign donors, charging credit cards without authorization, stealing identities, obtaining unemployment benefits through fraud, and lying in reports to the House of Representatives.

Santos's guilty plea came after he was exposed for lying about large portions of his resume, including his wealth, career, and mother's death. He also faced scrutiny for legal problems in the US and Brazil, including longstanding allegations of fraud and theft, as well as numerous potential campaign finance violations.

Santos's fraud and theft charges include the following:

• The Party Program Scheme: Santos and his campaign treasurer, Nancy Marks, devised and executed a fraudulent scheme to obtain money for his campaign by submitting false reports to the Federal Election Commission (FEC). They inflated the campaign's fundraising numbers and falsely reported personal loans to meet financial benchmarks and qualify for financial and logistical support from a national party committee.
• The Credit Card Fraud Scheme: Santos stole the personal identity and financial information of contributors to his campaign and repeatedly charged their credit cards without authorization. He then concealed the true source of the funds and circumvented campaign contribution limits by falsely reporting the contributions in FEC filings.
• Fraudulent Political Contribution Solicitation Scheme: Santos operated a limited liability company and enlisted a political consultant to communicate with prospective donors. He directed the consultant to falsely tell donors that their money would be used to help elect him to the House. Two donors each transferred $25,000 to the company's bank account, which Santos controlled and then transferred to his personal accounts. He used the funds for personal expenses, including designer clothing purchases, cash withdrawals, debt payments, and transfers to his associates.
• Unemployment Insurance Fraud Scheme: Santos applied for and received unemployment benefits while employed and running for Congress. He falsely claimed to be unemployed and affirmed his eligibility for benefits each week, resulting in over $24,000 in fraudulent unemployment insurance payments.

Santos's actions violated laws ensuring transparency and accuracy in financial disclosures and campaign funding, which are crucial for the integrity of the election process.

Sexual harassment and ethics complaint

In February 2023, Derek Myers, a former aide of George Santos, accused the congressman of sexual harassment. Myers said that Santos touched his groin inappropriately and invited him out to a karaoke bar, telling Myers that his husband was out of town.

Myers also alleged that Santos violated House rules by having him work as an unpaid volunteer for a week before his hiring paperwork was processed.

Myers filed a complaint with the House Ethics Committee and a police report with the Capitol Police. He made his allegations public via Twitter, saying:

> "It is an unfortunate series of events, but the matter will hopefully be handled by the appropriate bodies and not litigated through the news media."

Santos denied the allegations, describing them as "comical".

Credit card fraud

In October 2023, New York Congressman George Santos was charged with a 23-count indictment, including one count of access device fraud, more commonly known as credit card fraud.

Santos allegedly stole the identities of donors to his campaign and used their credit cards to make tens of thousands of dollars in unauthorised charges. He then wired some of the money to his own bank account, while using the rest to inflate his campaign funds.

Between December 2021 and August 2022, Santos is said to have charged contributors' credit cards repeatedly without their permission. These unauthorised transactions resulted in funds being transferred to Santos' campaign, to the campaigns of other candidates, and to his own bank account. To conceal the true source of these funds and to circumvent campaign contribution limits, Santos falsely represented that some of the campaign contributions were made by other people, such as his relatives or associates, rather than the actual cardholders.

In one instance, Santos is said to have charged $12,000 to a contributor's credit card and transferred the majority of that money into his personal bank account. In another instance, Santos allegedly stole the credit card information of a contributor who had already donated $5,800 to the campaign, and used it to give himself an additional $15,800 in payments. Because the unauthorised charges exceeded contribution limits under federal law, Santos listed the additional payments as coming from his own relatives, who were unaware of the transactions.

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