House Republican George Santos has been charged with fraud and lying about his campaign finance disclosures by federal prosecutors. They presented evidence that he stole donors’ identities and charged thousands of dollars to their credit cards without their knowledge, the Guardian reported.
This means more legal trouble for the embattled congressman, whose former campaign treasurer, Nancy Marks, pleaded guilty to defrauding the United States last week. Santos allegedly charged $15,800 to a contributor's credit card, way over the limit federal campaign laws permit.
Santos pleaded not guilty to a slew of charges including allegations that he schemed to defraud prospective supporters of his 2022 congressional campaign; campaign donations were used for purchase of luxury clothing items, credit card and car payments, and payments on personal debts. This original indictment was filed in May. A lot of money charged to contributors' credit cards, reportedly, ended up in Santos' personal bank account.
The two new charges include an accusation that he conspired to submit to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) false reports that inflated his campaign’s fundraising so it could deceive the Republican party into extending financial support, according to a Guardian report.
Santos is set to appear in federal court on October 27.
