Rep. George Santos wouldn’t resign from Congress so the feds arrested him.
GOP Rep. George Santos surrendered at the courthouse in Central Islip, New York on Wednesday.
The federal grand jury returned a 13-count indictment.
Santos was 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.” WABC reported.
Santos is facing up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
George Santos pleaded not guilty to all the charges and was released on $500,000 bond after his arraignment.
BREAKING: New York Rep. George Santos has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges of fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements during his arraignment in federal court.
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— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) May 10, 2023
According to the indictment reviewed by The Gateway Pundit, Santos was overcharged by zealous government prosecutors.
Santos was hit with five counts for wire fraud for engaging in a political contribution solicitation scheme.
The lawmaker was charged for each email or text message sent to potential political supporters (screenshot below):
Counts 6-8 were for unlawful money transactions over $10,000.
Counts 10 and 11 were for wire fraud related to unemployment benefits.
The feds allege Santos collected $24,741 in Covid relief benefits while he was gainfully employed making $120,000 salary.
Santos was hit with two counts – one for each $564 payment through interstate wires.
$564 payment!!
Counts 12 and 13 are related to Santos’ alleged false statements to the House of Representatives.
Santos also allegedly made false statements to the House of Representatives about his finances. He allegedly overstated his income while lying about an investment.
“This indictment seeks to hold Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations,” stated United States Attorney Breon Peace. “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. My Office and our law enforcement partners will continue to aggressively root out corruption and self-dealing from our community’s public institutions and hold public officials accountable to the constituents who elected them.”
“It’s a witch hunt! It makes no sense!” Santos said after his arraignment in federal court.
WATCH:
Rep. George Santos: “It’s a witch hunt! It makes no sense!”
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) May 10, 2023
