Freshman congressman and senior liar George Santos surrendered himself to federal authorities at a courthouse in Lengthy Island, New York, on the morning of Could 10. The 34-year-old congressman pled not responsible to the 13 prices levied towards him by authorities within the Jap District of New York and was launched on a $500,000 bond the identical day.
Santos faces prices for one rely of theft of public funds, two counts of mendacity to the Home of Representatives on monetary varieties, three counts of cash laundering, and 7 counts of wire fraud. The entire prices are monetary in nature, however essentially the most critical by far are the seven prices of wire fraud, every of which might carry fines of as much as $250,000 and as much as 20 years in jail.
Marketing campaign Finance Shenanigans
In accordance with the indictment dated Could 9th, Santos allegedly devised and executed a scheme to defraud his supporters by fraudulently inducing them to contribute funds to an entity listed as “Firm #1.” He’d promised that the contributions can be used to assist his run for the Home of Representatives. However the indictment alleges that as an alternative of utilizing these political contributions for his or her said function, Santos spent hundreds of the donated {dollars} on luxurious clothes, bank card funds, and different private bills.
What George Santos both did not know or selected to disregard is that misappropriating marketing campaign funds is one thing of a no-no in authorized circles. Extra particularly, his alleged actions violated the Federal Election Marketing campaign Act of 1971, which put limits on who might contribute to political campaigns and the way a lot they might contribute.
Firm #1 was neither a Tremendous PAC nor a 501(c)(4) social welfare group, which implies it was strictly prohibited from accepting contributions from people exceeding $2,900 per particular person. At the very least one particular person exceeded the contribution restrict on the path of Santos himself.
You Cannot Do That, George
Apparently, Santos reached out to numerous individuals, telling them (falsely) that their cash can be spent on tv ads bought by Firm #1 in assist of the congressman’s marketing campaign. And crucially, at the very least a few of these potential donors fell for it.
The congressman allegedly directed a person listed as “Individual #1” to solicit contributions from potential voters to Firm #1 by way of a collection of telephone calls, emails, and textual content messages. He despatched this nameless individual a textual content saying that Firm #1 was “a small C4” that existed “simply to assist his race” and that there have been “no limits” with respect to contributions. Individual #1 evidently knew even much less about marketing campaign finance legal guidelines than Mr. Santos, as they had been completely happy to take Santos at his phrase.
Santos and Individual #1 allegedly used these false statements to deceive a donor often known as “Contributor #1,” into wiring $25,000 to Firm #1—making the widely fraudulent act actually classify as the particular crime of wire fraud.
Contributor #1 wasn’t the one one who Santos and Individual #1 tricked into contributing tens of hundreds of {dollars}. At the very least one different particular person, “Contributor #2,” obtained deceptive emails claiming that “there are not any limits for contributors as we’re a 501c4 Impartial Expenditure committee below federal marketing campaign finance regulation and don’t coordinate immediately with the Santos marketing campaign.” Subsequent textual content messages despatched by Santos himself reiterated the supposed want for contributions to be spent on tv ads. Contributor #2 was evidently swayed by this firehose of falsehoods, as they wired $25,000 to Firm #1 the identical day.
Evidently, Firm #1 was the truth is related to the Santos marketing campaign. Santos allegedly accessed the checking account held by Firm #1 shortly after receiving the contributions, then promptly transferred the funds into his personal private accounts. He didn’t spend the funds on tv advertisements as promised. As an alternative Santos allegedly made money withdrawals, bought designer clothes, made funds on his bank cards, automobile mortgage, and private money owed—with at the very least among the remaining funds discovering their option to Santos’ associates.
Once more, you are not allowed to do this.
Unemployment Fraud?
Maybe essentially the most amusing of the costs levied towards Santos is for “fraudulent software for and receipt of unemployment advantages.”
In June 2020, Santos utilized for unemployment advantages below the Coronavirus Support, Aid, and Financial Safety (CARES) Act. Perhaps he noticed our weblog publish again then, warning that the CARES advantages had been expiring quickly, and needed to get in whereas he might. Both manner, he claimed that he had been unemployed since March 22, 2020, after which proceeded to assert unemployment advantages on a weekly foundation for over a yr.
In accordance with Santos’ weekly unemployment certifications, he was unemployed, accessible to tackle work, and eligible for advantages for the entire interval. In actuality, Santos had began a brand new job in February of 2020 as a Regional Director at an organization referred to within the indictment as “Funding Agency #1.” This phenomenon is often known as “being employed,” which precludes the flexibility to assert unemployment advantages. He was finally paid about $24,744 in unemployment advantages on high of the $120,000 wage he obtained in his Regional Director position.
Feels like Santos may need deserved unemployment advantages about as a lot as a German Shepherd.
Liar Liar
Lastly, Santos can also be accused of mendacity about his monetary scenario on his legally required Home Disclosure varieties. No, these varieties don’t have anything to do with the “home” he lives in; slightly, the Home Disclosure Type is a doc that every one Home of Representatives members should undergo the Home Committee, and is meant to incorporate correct details about the members’ earnings and property.
In Could of 2020 Santos filed two disclosures claiming that he solely earned $55,000 from a agency listed as “Firm #2.” Not solely did he overstate the quantity he obtained from Firm #2, he did not disclose the wage he obtained from Funding Agency #1.
The second infraction got here in September of 2022 when Santos filed one other Home Disclosure earlier than his reelection marketing campaign, once more overstating his revenue and property. This time, he additionally didn’t disclose the quantity he’d obtained from Funding Agency #1 and—satirically—the quantity he obtained in unemployment advantages.
What Now?
George Santos maintains his innocence and intent to run for reelection on the finish of his time period. The case towards him appears sure to lead to at the very least some convictions—they do not arrest congresspeople with out some critical proof—however his political destiny is much less sure. Not solely has GOP management failed to handle his dishonesty up to now, however there are not any mechanisms for mechanically ejecting a Consultant from the Home who has been charged or convicted with a felony.
Consultant Robert Garcia started the method to power a vote on a movement to expel Santos from the Home on Could 16. Two thirds of the Home would wish to vote to expel Santos for the movement to go, which places the Home’s 222 Republicans in a clumsy place. The vote theoretically provides the self-proclaimed a part of regulation and order the prospect to show their dedication to upholding the regulation, however voting to expel Santos would imply violating the unwritten Republican get together coverage of all the time defending one another from the regulation.
We’ll know whether or not the Republicans select to guard Santos—and implicitly assist his in depth historical past of confirmed lies and criminality—quickly. But when his get together refuses to behave, Congress fails to expel him, and his constituents reelect him, there is a respectable probability that Santos may serve his subsequent time period from behind bars.
