Rep. George Santos (R-NY) was in custody Wednesday morning after federal prosecutors unsealed a 13-count criminal indictment against him.
The charges against Santos included 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.
It was revealed Tuesday evening that the Department of Justice had filed charges against the freshman Congress member, but the filing had remained sealed at the time.
Santos was taken into custody in Melville, Long Island, where the FBI is housed, according to a law enforcement official. He was then taken to the courthouse is Central Islip. He is expected to appear later Wednesday at federal court in New York’s Eastern District.
Questions had previously been raised by federal investigators, including how the freshman lawmaker from Nassau County, Long Island generated enough personal wealth to lend his campaign $700,000 as campaign filings show. Santos had said his money came from his company, Devolder Organization, but he has disclosed very little information about its operations.
Campaign filings have surfaced that list donations exceeding the legal limit, hundreds of thousands of dollars in unexplained spending, and a string of expenses for $199.99, which is just a few cents below the threshold for having to reveal receipts.
Santos was already under investigation by Congress. The House Ethics Committee has launched an investigation into alleged misconduct by Santos. A special legislative subcommittee is looking into “whether Representative George Santos may have: engaged in unlawful activity with respect to his 2022 congressional campaign; failed to properly disclose required information on statements filed with the House; violated federal conflict of interest laws in connection with his role in a firm providing fiduciary services; and/or engaged in sexual misconduct towards an individual seeking employment in his congressional office.”
Santos filed for reelection in 2024 on March 14.
