Prosecutors File Criminal Charges Against New York Congressman George Santos

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

Santos is expected to appear Wednesday in federal court in the Eastern District of New York, where the charges were filed, the network reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. CNN first reported the charges against Santos. Multiple news organizations confirmed the report, including the Associated Press, NBC News and The Wall Street Journal.

The exact charges have yet to be released, but Santos was reportedly being investigated by the Justice Department over his campaign finances.

The charges represent a rapid rise and fall for a man denounced as an “impostor” by his own constituents.

Santos was elected to represent New York’s 3rd Congressional District in November 2022, defeating Democrat Robert Zimmerman by a margin of 54% to 46%. Shortly after that victory, it emerged that Mr. Santos had lied about much of his personal background and work experience.

TO New York Times The investigation found that he had lied about working for Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, lied about the university he attended, fabricated an animal charity, which the company from which he had earned a $750,000 salary and $1 million dividends did not had an online presence, lied that he lost four employees in the shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, in 2016, and that he was facing criminal charges in Brazil for check fraud.

A local pressure group started by local citizens was formed with the goal of forcing Santos out of office. They held regular protests outside his campaign office and called on Republican leaders to expel him from Congress.

House Republican Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy refused to hold a vote to oust Santos, but the Republican leader said he would. probably facing a probe by the House Ethics Committee.

Following news of the criminal charges Tuesday, McCarthy told CNN: “I will look into the charges.”

Since Santos took office in January, revelations about his past have continued to emerge. The most recent report found that Mr. Santos was accused of writing bad checks to buy puppies from Amish farmers in 2017.

Santos, 34, apologized for what he described as “resumé embellishment” but refused to resign.

the independent contacted the Eastern District of New York for comment.