Embattled New York Rep. George Santos is accused of various new criminal charges in a 23-count superseding indictment, including identity theft and wire fraud.
On top of the ones mentioned, the charges against the Republican lawmaker include conspiracy, false statements, falsification of records, and credit card fraud. Prosecutors filed the superseding indictment against Santos in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
New Criminal Charges
The breakdown of the new charges is one count of conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States, two counts of wire fraud, two counts of falsifying records submitted to obstruct the Federal Election Commission (FEC), two counts of making materially false statements to the FEC, one count of access device fraud, and two counts of aggravated identity theft.
These new accusations fall on top of the previous charges against the New York representative. These include seven counts of wire fraud, one count of theft of public funds, three counts of money laundering, and two counts of making materially false statements to the United States House of Representatives, as per Newsbreak.
In a statement, US Attorney Breon Stacy Peace said that Santos was being charged with stealing people's identities and making charges on his donors' credit cards without authorization. He added that the Republican lied to the FEC and, by extension, the public about the financial state of his campaign.
Peace noted that Santis falsely inflated his campaign's reported receipts with non-existent loans and contributions that were either fabricated or stolen. Santos' former campaign treasurer, Nancy Marks, pleaded guilty last week to conspiracy to defraud. She admitted to fraudulently reporting hundreds of thousands of fake loans that her boss had claimed he made to his campaign.
Prosecutors alleged that the two individuals carried out a fraudulent scheme to "obtain money for the campaign by submitting materially false reports to the FEC on behalf of the campaign." In those reports, the defendants allegedly inflated the campaign's fundraising numbers, saying that the lawmaker had loaned $500,000 when he did not do so and even lacked sufficient funds to contribute to that size.
Read Also: Former George Santos Campaign Treasurer, Nancy Marks, Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy To Defraud
George Santos' Legal Controversy
On Tuesday, court documents that were unsealed show that in one instance, Santos allegedly racked up $15,800 in charges on a contributor's credit card. This was a sum that was far higher than federal laws permit. According to CBS News, prosecutors said that the donor did not know of or give authorization for charges that exceed such limits.
The superseding indictment's new charges against Santos deepen the Republican lawmaker's legal challenges. He likely faces a lengthy prison sentence if convicted of the crimes, and he has continued to plead not guilty and has resisted calls to resign, insisting that he would run for re-election next year.
The controversy began last year soon after Santos won the election to represent Long Island and Queens, where a web of deception was revealed. He allegedly made up many parts of his resume, such as his distinguished Wall Street background, Jewish heritage, academic and athletic achievements, animal rescue work, and others, said the Associated Press.
