The George Santos Indictment, Annotated
Federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment on Wednesday charging Representative George Santos of New York with 13 counts, including counts of money laundering, stealing public money, wire fraud and making false statements to Congress.
The U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Breon Peace, said the charges stem from “fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations” intended to enrich Mr. Santos and mislead donors as he sought a seat in Congress. Mr. Santos pleaded not guilty in court.
Since Mr. Santos, a Republican, was elected to Congress last year to represent parts of Long Island and Queens, revelations have emerged that he misled, exaggerated or lied to voters about nearly every aspect of his life.
Related to a fraudulent political contribution solicitation scheme and an unemployment insurance fraud scheme.
Related to the fraudulent political contribution solicitation scheme.
Related to materially false statements on personal financial disclosure reports.
Related to the unemployment insurance fraud scheme.
The George Santos Indictment, Annotated ›
20 pages
The New York Times is annotating the indictment.
New York Times Analysis
1 Representative George Santos of New York, who surrendered to federal custody in Central Islip on Wednesday morning, has been charged with 13 counts. If convicted, Mr. Santos faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years on the top count, according to the U.S. attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York.
New York Times Analysis
2 Broadly, Mr. Santos has been charged in three schemes. The first involved fraudulent political contributions. Prosecutors say Mr. Santos and an unnamed Queens-based political consultant induced donors to give money to a limited liability company he controlled – which The Times has identified as RedStone Strategies. He then used the money for personal expenses, including to buy designer goods and to pay off personal debts.
New York Times Analysis
3 The second scheme described in the indictment is unemployment insurance fraud. Federal prosecutors say that in June 2020, in the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic, Mr. Santos applied for government assistance in New York, even though at the time he was employed by a Florida-based investment firm and drew an annual salary of $120,000.
New York Times Analysis
4 The third scheme outlined in the indictment says Mr. Santos misled the House of Representatives about his financial circumstances on disclosure statements required for federal candidates. In May 2020 – during his first, unsuccessful campaign – he is accused of overstating one source of income while failing to disclose salary from an investment firm where he then worked. And in September 2022, when he ran a second time, Mr. Santos is accused of falsely describing income he said he had received from his own company, the Devolder Organization.
New York Times Analysis
5 The indictment leaves some tantalizing questions unanswered, particularly about the financial disclosure statement for his second run, in 2022. For example, prosecutors say that he falsely certified that he earned $750,000 from the Devolder Organization, and that he had received between $1 million and $5 million in dividends from Devolder. Prosecutors noted these assertions were false, but they did not answer a major question that has loomed over the Santos case: What was the source of a mysterious six-figure sum he has said he loaned to his campaign?
