George Santos is arrested on federal criminal charges – live updates

George Santos was arrested after turning himself in to authorities in federal court on Long Island Wednesday morning.

The congressman from New York’s Third District, who won his election after a campaign riddled with lies about his past, was arrested shortly after 9 a.m. He slipped past dozens of reporters to enter through a back door of the building.

The indictment, which was unsealed Wednesday, alleges a series of fraudulent schemes over several years. Santos has been charged with 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.

The arrest represents a rapid rise and fall for a man denounced by his own constituents as an “impostor” but used by national Republicans to bolster their narrow House majority.

Federal prosecutors have filed criminal charges against George Santos, the Republican congressman whose campaign was riddled with falsehoods about his past.

The Department of Justice unsealed a 13-count federal indictment on Wednesday (May 10) charging Mr. Santos with seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds and two counts of making statements materially false to the House of Representatives.

Santos turned himself in to authorities in federal court on Long Island and was arrested shortly after 9 am He slipped past dozens of reporters to enter through a back door of the building.

In the indictment, prosecutors accuse Santos of lying on the financial disclosure forms he submitted to the House when he became a candidate. The first charge alleges that he exaggerated income from one job and failed to disclose income from another. The second alleges that he lied about the earnings of his company, the Devolder Organization.

Prosecutors also allege that Mr. Santos fraudulently used donations to his political campaign for his own gain, spending “thousands of dollars of the requested funds on personal expenses, including luxury designer clothing and credit card payments.” .

New York Republican Party Chairman Ed Cox said The New York Times that Santos will not last long in Congress now, saying that the Nassau County Republicans would defeat Santos if he refused to resign.

“He’s out no matter how you do it, because we have a good party in Nassau County,” Cox told the newspaper.

The indictment reveals the three schemes Mr. Santos is charged with.

He is suspected of having carried out a fraudulent plot to solicit political contributions. Prosecutors say Santos and a political consultant in Queens, who remains unidentified, solicited donations from an LLC controlled by Santos. He then used the funds for personal expenses, such as designer items and paying off debts, according to The New York Times.

He also orchestrated an unemployment insurance fraud scheme, in which he applied for government assistance in New York early in the pandemic in June 2020 despite being employed by an investment firm in Florida and receiving a payment of $120,000, according to The prosecutors.

The indictment also states that Mr. Santos misled the House about his finances. He is accused of exaggerating a source of funds without sharing his salary from the investment firm during his unsuccessful first campaign for the House in 2020.

In September 2022, during his second campaign, Santos is accused of including inaccurate information on his financial disclosure form.

Santos was taken into custody in Melville, Long Island, where the FBI is located, before being taken to the Central Islip federal courthouse, CNN reported.

The New York Republican will be arraigned this afternoon before federal judge Arlene Lindsay, according to The New York Times.

George Santos turned himself in to authorities Wednesday and is currently in custody in federal court, according to The New York Times.

He has been charged with 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.

George Santos turned himself in to authorities while facing federal charges, according to AP and The New York Times.

George Santos, the New York congressman who rose to fame for a series of exaggerations, lies and irregularities involving his personal background and campaign finances, has been indicted on a series of federal charges.

The exact nature of the charges is not yet public and remains under wraps, but they involve federal crimes, NBC News and CNN report.

The New York Republican has been investigated by multiple bodies since he was elected, including the House Ethics Committee, as well as the Federal Election Commission and local and federal prosecutors.

Santos could reportedly appear in federal court in the Eastern District of New York as soon as Wednesday.

Kevin McCarthy has managed to dodge questions about disgraced Republicans George Santos and Donald Trump, while saying he wouldn’t “avoid” the question.

On Tuesday, a reporter asked the House Majority Leader to comment on the two prominent figures in the Republican Party, after Trump was convicted of sexual assault and Santos was indicted on federal charges.

“Are you going to continue to support George Santos now that he has been indicted on federal charges? And do you support President Trump after a jury found him responsible for sexual abuse? asked the reporter.

McCarthy responded by saying, “I’m not going to avoid your question.”

He then proceeded to do exactly that while dodging the topics without giving a definitive answer.

The independent’Rachel Sharp has the full story: