Rep. George Santos was taken into custody Wednesday as the Justice Department unsealed 13 federal charges against the New York Republican, accusing him of fraud related to Covid-19 unemployment benefits, misusing campaign funds and lying about his personal finances on House disclosure reports.
Santos has been charged on 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 is set to appear in federal court on Long Island later Wednesday.
The charges inject fresh uncertainly into the political future of Santos, a freshman congressman whose astonishing pattern of lies and fabrications stunned even hardened politicos and led top Democrats and some New York Republicans to call for his resignation earlier this year.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, on Wednesday said he would wait before calling on Santos to resign.
“It always concerns me,” McCarthy told CNN after being informed of the money laundering and wire fraud charges.
“He will go through his time in trial and let’s find out how the outcome is,” McCarthy added.
Prosecutors allege Santos solicited campaign funds under false pretense and used them for personal expenses like designer clothing.
The indictment accuses Santos of undertaking a “fraudulent political contribution solicitation scheme,” alleging that he set up a company and got supporters to contribute funds to it under the false pretense that the money would benefit his political campaign.
Prosecutors claim that thousands of dollars instead went to Santos’ personal expenses, including luxury designer clothing and credit card payments.
Santos, who was elected last year to represent a district that includes parts of Long Island…
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