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NEW YORK – Newly elected Representative George Santos, RN.Y., is facing a series of questions: He is accused of falsifying his resume and the circumstances of his mother’s death, as well as having questionable reports on campaign finances and allegations of theft from a fundraiser for a dying dog, among other things.
He acknowledged embellishing his educational background and work history, but denied most other allegations, even when he was sworn in to his new House post this month.
The allegations prompted multiple demands for his resignation, as well as at least two investigations and calls for further investigations. Santos, 34, has repeatedly said he will not resign. Here is a summary of the investigations and analyses.
state investigations
The Santos Borough includes a portion of northern Nassau County, NY on Long Island, as well as a portion of Queens, the eastern borough of New York City. Nassau District Attorney Anne Donnelly, a Republican, announced that her office would investigate Santos after he publicly acknowledged embellishing his resume.
“The numerous fabrications and inconsistencies associated with Congressman-elect Santos are nothing short of astounding. Residents of Nassau County and other parts of the Third (Congressional) District should have an honest and responsible representative in Congress,” Donnelly said in a statement released. by his office in late December.
“No one is above the law and if a crime has been committed in this county, we will prosecute it,” concluded Donnelly.
His office did not provide details of the investigation, making it clear what potential crimes could be under review.
New York State Attorney General Letitia James’s office said in late December that it was “reviewing a number of issues” involving Santos. However, the announcement stopped short of confirming a formal investigation.
federal investigation
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, headquartered in Brooklyn, includes the Santos congressional district. An investigation by US Attorney General Breon Peace, the lead prosecutor for the Eastern District, is focused in part on Santos’ financial dealings, according to reports by The New York Times, CNN and other news organizations.
A Peace spokesman did not respond to a message seeking comment.
Questions about Santos’ financial dealings included the sources of funding for his 2022 campaign, as well as a sharp increase in his reported earnings between his unsuccessful 2020 congressional campaign and his 2022 victory.
►USA TODAY investigates:George Santos’ university education is a myth. Is he the one lying? we checked
►Concerns with Santos campaign files:Representative George Santos’ finances are raising questions. Here’s what public records show.
►Complaint about the GoFundMe effort:Representative George Santos rejects ‘insane’ claim that he stole funds for veteran’s dying dog
Calls for campaign finance investigations
Several organizations and elected officials asked the Federal Election Commission to investigate Santos’ campaign funding and spending. The Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan advocate for voters, went further by filing a complaint with the FEC. The organization also forwarded the complaint to the Public Integrity Section of the US Department of Justice.
The complaint alleges that Santos:
- Concealed the true sources of funding for his 2022 congressional campaign, including the “unexplained and highly suspicious origins of $705,000 Santos allegedly loaned to his campaign”. Unknown companies and individuals may have illegally funneled money to the campaign through a limited liability company he created, the CLC said.
- Falsified reports about his spending in the 2022 campaign. In all, Santos recorded 40 disbursements between $199 and $200. And 37 of the expenditures were $199.99, one cent short of the FEC limit for requiring receipts, invoices or checks cancelled.
- Illegally used campaign money for personal expenses, including a residence for Santos.
The FEC and the Department of Justice declined to comment on the CLC complaint.
Separately, Representatives Ritchie Torres and Daniel Goldman, both Democratic members of the New York House, asked the House Ethics Committee to investigate Santos.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., whose narrow four-seat majority cannot afford to lose a GOP member, has largely avoided the controversy. As McCarthy’s term as president began, Santos was appointed to two House committees by his fellow House Republicans.
Criminal allegations revived in Brazil
Law enforcement authorities in Brazil, where Santos’ parents were born, plan to reopen an investigation into Santos’ alleged use of a checkbook stolen in 2008, The New York Times reported.
Allegedly using a false name, he used the checkbook to spend nearly $700 at a store outside Rio de Janeiro, the Times reported.
The investigation stalled because Brazilian authorities were unable to locate Santos. Now officials plan to ask the US Department of Justice to notify Santos of the charges, a move that would allow the case to proceed.
“I am not a criminal here — not here, not in Brazil, not in any jurisdiction in the world,” Santos told the New York Post in December, before the Times story on the Brazilian case was revived.
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