George Santos arrest news - live: Republican calls probe ‘witch hunt’ after pleading not guilty to 13 charges

George Santos, the New York congressman who rose to prominence for a string of exaggerations, lies, and irregularities related to his personal background and campaign finances, pleaded not guilty after being hit with a series of federal charges.

He told the press after exiting the courthouse on Wednesday that the probe is a “witch hunt” and that he’s planning to run for reelection. Mr Santos surrendered to the authorities and was taken into custody at a federal courthouse.

He was released on a $500,000 bond ahead of his next court appearance on 30 June.

Mr 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.

Utah GOP Senator Mitt Romney led the calls for him to go, saying, “He has demonstrated by his untruthfulness that he should not be in the United States Congress — perhaps should not even be on the public streets”.

Key Points

• Read the full indictment of George Santos

• Santos’s travel limited as part of bond agreement

• Santos booed when he attempts to change subject to Biden

• ‘That’s not up for me to know’: Santos not confident he can win re-election

• George Santos calls federal charges a ‘witch hunt’ and refuses to resign following arrest

Mitt Romney calls for George Santos’s immediate resignation as own party turns on him

05:00 , Andrew Feinberg

Utah Senator Mitt Romney on Wednesday said embattled New York congressman George Santos should resign from Congress after the first-term House member was indicted on 13 counts of wire fraud, money laundering, and theft of public funds.

Speaking to reporters in the Capitol on the day Mr Santos was arrested and set to be arraigned in a Long Island federal courtroom, Mr Romney called for him to step down immediately.

“I think we’re seeing that the wheels of justice may grind slow, but they grind fine and he will have his day in court, but it certainly appears that things are not going well for Mr. Santos,” he said.

Mr Romney previously told Mr Santos he had no business being in the House of Representatives during a testy exchange before President Joe Biden delivered his annual State of the Union address to Congress in March.

In the confrontation between the Utah Senator and the freshman New York representative that was captured by television cameras, Mr Romney called Mr Santos “an embarrassment” and told him: “You don’t belong here”.

Read more:

Mitt Romney calls for George Santos to resign after arrest

COUNT 13: “False Statements— 2022 House Disclosure Reports”

04:30 , AP

This count makes largely the same allegations as Count 12 but relates to alleged lying on his 2022 financial disclosure form.

Potential sentence: A conviction carries a five-year prison term.

COUNT 12: “False Statements — 2020 House Disclosure Reports”

04:00 , AP

Under this count, Santos is accused of lying on a 2020 House financial disclosure form, which requires legislators to give a complete account of their income and assets.

Potential sentence: A conviction carries a five-year prison term.

COUNTS 10-11: "Wire Fraud — Fraudulent Application for and Receipt of Unemployment Benefit”

03:30 , AP

These counts also refer to the alleged scheme to obtain money earmarked to help Americans who lost work because of COVID-19. The count refers to two $564 checks that allegedly were wired to Santos.

Potential sentence: Each count carries a maximum prison term of 20 years.

COUNT 9: “Theft of Public Money”

03:00 , AP

This charge alleges that in 2020 and 2021, Santos embezzled U.S. funds by falsely obtaining money set aside for unemployed people during the height of the pandemic, even thought he was being paid a substantial salary at the time.

Potential sentence: A conviction carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison.

COUNTS 6-8: “Unlawful Monetary Transactions Over $10,000”

02:30 , AP

This count contains the allegation that in 2022, Santos illegally transferred a $25,000 campaign donation from one donor and a $24,000 donation from another to a bank account he controlled.

Potential sentence: Under the statute, the maximum sentences can range from a few years to decades in prison, depending on aggravating factors.

COUNTS 1-5: “Wire Fraud — Fraudulent Political Contribution Solicitation Scheme”

02:00 , AP

Wire fraud refers to the use of telephones, email or other forms of communication to commit a crime. Such charges are common in a wide range of criminal cases, from drug trafficking to political corruption.

In Santos’ case, these counts relate to allegations that he hoodwinked donors into contributing money by telling them their contributions would be used for campaign ads when he actually spent it on himself, including to buy designer clothes and make credit card payments.

Potential sentence: Although the indictment does not include possible sentences, U.S. statutes say each wire fraud count carries a maximum 20-year prison term.

George Santos pleads not guilty to duping donors, stealing campaign cash to burnish wealthy image

01:30 , AP

U.S. Rep. George Santos, the New York Republican infamous for fabricating his life story, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges he duped donors, stole from his campaign and lied to Congress about being a millionaire, all while cheating to collect unemployment benefits he didn’t deserve. Afterward, he said wouldn’t drop his reelection bid, defying calls to resign.

Santos’ 13-count federal indictment was a reckoning for a web of fraud and deceit that prosecutors say overlapped with his fantastical public image as a wealthy businessman — a fictional biography that began to unravel after he won election last fall.

Santos, 34, was released on $500,000 bond following his arraignment, about five hours after turning himself in to authorities on Long Island to face charges of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements to Congress. He could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

“This is the beginning of the ability for me to address and defend myself,” Santos told reporters afterward, vowing to clear his name and calling his prosecution a “witch hunt.”

Read more:

George Santos pleads not guilty to duping donors, stealing campaign cash to burnish wealthy image

Here are the 13 counts New York Rep. George Santos faces

01:00 , AP

A 13-count federal indictment unsealed Wednesday in New York accuses U.S. Rep. George Santos of embezzling money from his campaign, falsely receiving unemployment funds and lying to Congress about his finances.

In a news release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York said the charges against the New York Republican include three counts of “money laundering,” though the indictment doesn’t use that specific phrasing.

The following are the counts Santos faces as they are described in the indictment, and the maximum sentences as spelled out in the U.S. criminal code:

Here are the 13 counts New York Rep. George Santos faces

George Santos calls federal charges a ‘witch hunt’ and refuses to resign following arrest

Thursday 11 May 2023 00:30 , Richard Hall

George Santos described criminal charges against him as a “witch hunt” in a defiant press conference following his arrest on Wednesday.

The New York congressman spoke outside a federal courthouse after being arraigned on charges of fraud, theft of public funds and money laundering.

“It’s a witch hunt,” he told a crowd of reporters. “I’m gonna fight my battle, I’m gonna deliver, I’m gonna fight the witch hunt, I’m gonna take care of clearing my name,” he said, adding that he was planning to run for re-election.

The 34-year-old congressman for New York’s 3rd District, who won his election after a campaign that was littered with lies about his past, was arrested shortly after 9am after turning himself in to authorities.

Read more:

George Santos calls federal charges a ‘witch hunt’ and refuses to resign after arrest

VIDEO: George Santos pleads not guilty to 13 charges, including wire fraud and theft

Thursday 11 May 2023 00:00 , Gustaf Kilander

George Santos and the fascinating psychology of compulsive liars

Wednesday 10 May 2023 23:30 , Holly Baxter

Anyone who’s taken a passing look at the news lately knows it’s been a bad week for George Santos. Charged with crimes ranging from false statements to fraud on Wednesday, the former golden boy of the Republican Party may be about to end his career in a spectacular flame-out even his most ardent detractors couldn’t have predicted.

When the 34-year-old representative from New York’s 3rd congressional district flipped the seat in the November midterms, it was celebrated by Republicans as a rare and significant victory. This was a once-safe Democratic seat, where people voted for Joe Biden by a double-digit margin in 2020. How did Santos do it? As his house of cards comes tumbling down, the answer seems to be: By fictionalizing himself into the perfect candidate.

Aside from the financial and legal crimes he’s now been charged with, Santos also stands accused of lying about the entire contents of his résumé, including where he went to college, and even where he went to high school; whether he is married to a man or a woman (he spoke of a husband in his campaign bio, but records only appear to show a marriage and divorce to a woman); how his mother died (not in 9/11, it turns out); whether his grandmother was in the Holocaust and indeed whether any of his family is actually Jewish (it appears they are all actually Brazilian Catholics.) An indictment suggests he allegedly lied about being unemployed in order to collect fraudulent benefits, and spent “thousands of dollars [in campaign funds solicited from the public] on personal expenses, including luxury designer clothing and credit card payments”. He even seems to have claimed he was running an imaginary animal charity. These alleged lies range from the very serious to the comically absurd, from the personal to the professional, and from the clearly self-serving to the head-scratchingly strange. There is a feeling of compulsion to them.

Read more:

George Santos and the fascinating psychology of compulsive liars

From resume lies to criminal charges: A timeline of George Santos’ many scandals

Wednesday 10 May 2023 23:00 , John Bowden

George Santos has another scandal to add to his long list.

On Wednesday 10 May, the embattled congressman was arrested on a string of 13 federal criminal charges.

Mr 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, according to the indictment.

He surrendered to authorities at a federal court on Long Island.

Federal prosecutors accused Mr Santos of lying on financial disclosure forms he filed to the House when he became a candidate. The first count alleges that he overstated his income from one job and failed to disclose income from another. The second alleges that he lied about his earnings from his company, the Devolder Organization.

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

Mr Santos is also accused of an unemployment insurance fraud scheme before his successful congressional campaign in which he applied for government assistance in New York while still employed by a Florida-based investment firm.

The arrest marks the latest in a growing number of scandals circling Mr Santos.

The saga began even before he was sworn-in on the 118th Congress.

Dogged by surely one of the oddest scandals to hit American politics in the last few years, Mr Santos was facing calls for his expulsion and resignation even before he was seated as representative for New York’s 3rd Congressional District.

Let’s take a look back at how this scandal evolved, from the beginning to now:

From resume lies to criminal charges: A timeline of George Santos’ many scandals

George Santos: Every lie disgraced Republican Congressman has been accused of making

Wednesday 10 May 2023 22:30 , John Bowden

It can be difficult keeping up with the list of fictions that George Santos has been accused of telling, admitted telling, or merely been caught spinning red-handed following a contradictory statement.

But, do not fret: The Independent is here, and we’re keeping track of the whole list of lies even as it continues to grow — both in number and in the sheer scale of the humiliation that it presents for not just Mr Santos, who remains adamant that he will serve two years in office as representative for New York’s third district, but for the Republican House caucus as a whole.

For months now, home state Republicans and Democrats alike called for his resignation from Congress while major conservative groups vowed not to work with him.

Still, he found a niche for himself among the GOP’s far-right Maga caucus, among fellows like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz.

On Wednesday 11 January, New York Republicans called on Mr Santos to resign, saying that he “disgraced the House of Representatives”. Mr Santos, meanwhile, held firm, telling reporters that he “will not” step down.

Then, on 31 January, Mr Santos announced he was stepping down from his committee assignments following a meeting with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

On 2 March, the House Ethics Committee announced it was investigating Mr Santos.

But, things really took a turn on 9 May, when Mr Santos was arrested and hit with 13 federal charges from the Justice Department.

The embattled congressman 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.

He was arrested after surrendering to authorities at a federal court on Long Island the following morning (10 May).

So, with scrutiny continuing to mount on Mr Santos, let’s dive in to every fabrication, fiction, lie, mistruth, and “embellishment” that he has admitted to telling or been caught spreading by journalists and others (so far):

Every lie George Santos has been accused of making

Separating fact from the many, fabulous fabrications of George Santos

Wednesday 10 May 2023 22:15 , Bevan Hurley

Congressman George Santos’ long list of lies appears to have finally caught up with him.

The 34-year-old Republican was arrested on Wednesday and charged with 13 federal counts, including money laundering, theft of public funds and false statements to the House of Representatives.

He surrendered to federal law enforcement and was taken to the Eastern District of New York federal courthouse in Central Islip, on Long Island, where he pleaded not guilty in a brief court appearance.

In 2022, Mr Santos was elected as the Republican Party’s first openly gay, non-incumbent member of Congress, and touted himself as a living embodiment of the American dream.

But he has since been exposed as a serial fabricator, and now an accused criminal.

Here’s what we know about George Anthony Devolder Santos:

Separating fact from the many, fabulous fabrications of George Santos

Santos’s travel limited as part of bond agreement

Wednesday 10 May 2023 22:00 , Gustaf Kilander

According to his bond agreement, Mr Santos will be allowed to travel to New York City, Long Island, and Washington, DC.

But he will have to get permission from pretrial services if he wants to travel anywhere else in the continental US, according to CNN.

He also had to hand over his passport to the federal authorities, meaning that he won’t be able to go abroad.

Santos lawyer tries to avoid media following arraignment

Wednesday 10 May 2023 21:50 , Gustaf Kilander

Santos’ drag show past exposed

Wednesday 10 May 2023 21:40 , Joe Sommerlad

The accusation emerged in January when the veteran Brazilian drag performer Eula Rochard, 58, told Reuters that she had first encountered the individual she alleged was Mr Santos in 2005 at the first gay pride parade held in Niteroi, a suburb of Rio de Janeiro, saying she also remembered seeing him compete in a drag pageant in the same city three years later, much more flamboyantly attired on the second occasion.

“He’s changed a lot, but he was always a liar,” Ms Rochard said. “He was always such a dreamer.”

She said she came forward to make her allegation against Mr Santos after spotting him on television, excitedly telling her friends and then reacting to their disbelief by digging out an old photograph she insisted showed the pair of them together in costume, later posting it on Instagram.

In an interview with Maria Kabas of The Handbasket on Substack, Ms Rochard said: “I think I met him when he was around 16 or 17 years old… He used to hang out in my house while his mom was playing Bingo.

“The picture was taken in 2008 at the Pride Parade at Icarai Beach in Niteroi. George had disappeared for a little while, and then returned to Brazil with a lot of money, and that was about the same time when the picture was taken.”

Ms Rochard added that Mr Santos “did not have what it takes to be a professional” as a drag performer, adding that he “used to create stories, usually involving money – like that his dad was rich”.

Santos booed when he attempts to change subject to Biden

Wednesday 10 May 2023 21:30 , Gustaf Kilander

False statements to House of Reps: two counts of making false statements

Wednesday 10 May 2023 21:20 , Ariana Baio

The indictment claims Mr Santos “knowingly and willfully” made false statements on his personal financial disclosure reports to the Clerk of the House which was delivered to the House Committee on Ethics.

In one count, federal prosecutors allege Mr Santos overstated the amount of money he made from a single source in May 2020 as $55,000 when he actually earned $27,555 from one company and $25,403 in income from an investment firm.

The other count alleges Mr Santos falsely reported the amount of money he made from 2021 until the filing date in September 2022.

Mr Santos claimed on his personal financial report he earned $750,000 from the Devolder Organization LLC, had unearned dividends from the company of $1m to $5m, owned a checking account with $100,000 to $250,000 and owned a savings account with $1m to $5m.

The indictment does not provide detail as to what the actual amounts were but says the reported amounts were untruthful.

It also says Mr Santos failed to report the $28,107 he made from an investment firm nor the unemployment insurance benefits he received from New York.

Santos suggests book may be in the works

Wednesday 10 May 2023 21:15 , Gustaf Kilander

Mr Santos said on Wednesday that “this has been an experience for a book, or something like that”.

Santos going back to DC to vote on border bill

Wednesday 10 May 2023 21:05 , Gustaf Kilander

Mr Santos said he was returning to Washington, DC to vote in the House.

“I appreciate everybody’s patience with my presence in Congress,” he said.

‘That’s not up for me to know’: Santos not confident he can win re-election

Wednesday 10 May 2023 20:55 , Gustaf Kilander

VIDEO: Santos to run again

Wednesday 10 May 2023 20:45 , Gustaf Kilander

Unemployment benefits scheme: One count of theft of public money and two counts of wire fraud

Wednesday 10 May 2023 20:40 , Ariana Bao

Federal prosecutors claim Mr Santos did “knowingly and intentionally devise a scheme to artifice to defraud the NYS DOL, (New York State Department of Labor) and to obtain money from the NYS DOL by means or one or more materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations and promises.”

These charges are related to Mr Santos’ alleged scheme to falsely apply and claim $24,744 in unemployment benefits from New York in 2020.

Mr Santos allegedly applied for unemployed claiming he was eligible for benefits through the CARES Act when really he was the regional director at an investment firm based in Florida earning an annual salary of $120,000.

George Santos calls federal charges a ‘witch hunt’ and refuses to resign following arrest

Wednesday 10 May 2023 20:35 , Richard Hall

George Santos described criminal charges against him as a “witch hunt” in a defiant press conference following his arrest on Wednesday.

The New York congressman spoke outside a federal courthouse after being arraigned on charges of fraud, theft of public funds and money laundering.

“It’s a witch hunt, because it makes no sense that in four months, five months, I’m indicted. You have Joe Biden’s entire family receiving deposits from … nine family members receiving money from foreign destinations into their bank accounts,” Mr Santos said, without providing any evidence of his claims.

“I’m gonna fight my battle, I’m gonna deliver, I’m gonna fight the witch hunt, I’m gonna take care of clearing my name,” he added.

The congressman for New York’s third district, who won his election after a campaign that was littered with lies about his past, was arrested shortly after 9am after turning himself in to authorities.

Read more:

George Santos calls federal charges a ‘witch hunt’ and refuses to resign after arrest

‘It’s a witch hunt’: Santos says he’s ready to ‘fight’ to defend himself

Wednesday 10 May 2023 20:25 , Gustaf Kilander

Mr Santos said he was returning to Washington, DC after pleading not guilty to 13 federal charges.

“It’s a witch hunt,” he said after saying that he was going to “fight to defend myself”.

He was booed when trying to pivot to GOP talking points about the family of President Joe Biden.

Inside George Santos’ drag queen days as ‘Kitara Ravache’ - and how his ‘young and fun’ past was exposed

Wednesday 10 May 2023 20:20 , Joe Sommerlad

New York Republican congressman George Santos is in custody after surrendering to the authorities at a federal court on Long Island on Wednesday (10 May).

The representative, 34, who rose to national prominence over a string of exaggerations, lies, and irregularities related to his personal background and campaign finances, which he has dismissed as “résumé embellishment”, 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.

Mr Santos was elected to represent New York’s 3rd Congressional District in November’s midterms after defeating Democrat Robert Zimmerman but, just a month later, his triumph began to unravel when The New York Times published an investigation exposing a track record of untruths in his public statements.

Mr Santos faces accusations that he lied about the college he attended and about working for Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, falsely said that his grandparents had survived the Holocaust and that 9/11 “claimed his mother’s life”, fabricated an animal charity to siphon money away from a military veteran’s dying dog and lied about losing four employees in the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, in 2016, among many other claims.

Read more:

Inside George Santos’ drag queen days as ‘Kitara Ravache’

Santos says he’ll run for re-election: ‘I will not resign'

Wednesday 10 May 2023 20:15 , Gustaf Kilander

Mr Santos promised to run for re-election when speaking to reporters after pleading not guilty to 13 federal charges.

“I will not resign,” he said, adding that he’ll clear his name.

George Santos arrested on 13 federal charges

Wednesday 10 May 2023 20:00 , Eleanor Cunningham

George Santos has been arrested after surrendering himself to authorities at a Long Island federal court on Wednesday morning.

The congressman for New York’s third district, who won his election after a campaign that was littered with lies about his past, was arrested shortly after 9am.

The indictment, which was unsealed on Wednesday, alleges a series of fraudulent schemes resulting in 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.