Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) was indicted Wednesday on 13 federal charges for allegedly misleading donors, misrepresenting his finances to the public and government agencies, and engaging in wire fraud, money laundering, and theft of public funds.
Santos pleaded not guilty Wednesday afternoon and was released on a $500,000 bond. His next court appearance is scheduled for June 30 before U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert.
The charges are 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 top charge of wire fraud carries a maximum jail time of 20 years, though the judge may decide to make any sentences run concurrently if Santos is convicted on multiple counts.
The indictment alleges Santos directed an unnamed person to communicate with potential donors, falsely telling them their funds would be used to purchase television advertisements for his campaign. However, the donations were instead purportedly transferred to Santos’s personal bank accounts, which he used to purchase designer clothing and discharge his personal debts.
The indictment also accuses Santos of fraudulently receiving more than $24,000 in unemployment benefits after falsely claiming he was unemployed during the early months of the pandemic. Additionally, it includes two counts of false statements to the House of Representatives over Santos’s financial disclosures in May 2020 and September 2022 during his congressional campaigns. Santos is accused of failing to disclose various income sources while, in other instances, overstating the income he received, and falsely representing the deposits he had in two bank accounts.
The indictment has prompted several lawmakers from both parties to call for Santos’s resignation or expulsion. Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) wrote on Twitter that “George Santos should be immediately expelled from Congress and a special election initiated at the soonest possible date.”
However, according to House Rules, even if Santos is charged with a felony that carries a sentence of two or more years in prison, he can remain in Congress and continue to represent his district until he is acquitted, the charges are dismissed, or the felony is reduced to less than a felony.
Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has stopped short of calling on Santos to resign but said he would deal with the developing situation as he has with lawmakers who have been indicted in the past. He told reporters Wednesday that “He could go through his time of trial, we’ll find out how the outcome is.”
