Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y) was indicted on 13 federal charges on Wednesday including fraud, theft, money laundering and making false statements, the Justice Department said.
Santos faces seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives.
His arraignment was set for Wednesday afternoon in federal court in Long Island, New York.
“This indictment seeks to hold Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement. “Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself. He 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.”
Santos has been under investigation by the House Ethics Committee and in multiple jurisdictions since he was sworn into office in January after he admitted to lying to about his resume. He has rebuffed calls to resign from members of his own party and has already announced that he is running for re-election.
Santos faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the top counts, according to the Justice Department.
