George Santos Surrenders to Authorities as Feds Unseal Theft-of-Public-Funds, Money-Laundering Charges

Representative George Santos (R., N.Y.) pleaded not guilty to all thirteen charges against him hours after he surrendered on Wednesday morning to authorities at a Long Island courthouse.

Santos faces three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, seven counts of wire fraud, and two counts of making false statements before the House of Representatives.

“The reality is it’s a witch hunt because it makes no sense that in four months, five months, I’m indicted. You have Joe Biden’s entire family receiving deposits from nine family members receiving money from foreign destinations into their bank accounts,” Santos said above jeers and boos during a press conference held outside the courthouse Wednesday afternoon.

“I’m gonna fight my battle, I’m gonna deliver, I’m gonna fight the witch hunt, I’m gonna take care of clearing my name and I look forward to doing that.”

“This indictment seeks to hold Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement released on Wednesday.

Santos “used political contributions to line his pockets, unlawfully applied for unemployment benefits that should have gone to New Yorkers who had lost their jobs due to the pandemic, and lied to the House of Representatives,” the lawyer added.

Since Election Day 2022, several reports have emerged challenging biographical details Santos shared about himself on the campaign trail.

The New York representative had previously admitted that he never graduated from college though, on other occasions, he claimed to have a degree from Baruch College. While he boasted of working for Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, neither financial firm has a record of Santos as an employee. Moreover, on his campaign website, Santos maintained that his mother was Jewish and his grandparents escaped the Nazis during World War II but now insists he is “clearly Catholic.”

“I never claimed to be Jewish,” Santos responded following accusations. “I am Catholic. Because I learned my maternal family had a Jewish background I said I was ‘Jew-ish.’”

The fallout from the revelations led Santos to step down from his congressional assignments in late January from the Science, Space and Technology and House Small Business Committees.

Still, many leading Republicans were unhappy with his continued presence on Capitol Hill. Minutes before President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address in February, Santos had a tense conversation with Senator Mitt Romney (R., Utah), with the latter visibly upset by the former’s presence.

“You don’t belong here,” Romney tells Santos, adding “you ought to be embarrassed.”

“He’s a sick puppy, he shouldn’t have been there,” Romney told NBC News. “Given the fact that he’s under ethics investigation he should be sitting in the back row and being quiet instead of parading in front of the president.”

Despite the growing backlash, Santos announced his intentions to run for re-election in mid April. “Since the Left is pushing radical agendas, the economy is struggling, and Washington is incapable of solving anything, we need a fighter who knows the district and can serve the people fearlessly, and independent of local or national party influence,” Santos said in a statement announcing his candidacy.

“Good isn’t good enough, and I’m not shy about doing what it takes to get the job done. I’m proud to announce my candidacy to run for re-election and continue to serve the people of NY-3,” the Republican lawmaker added.