Former Republican Lawmaker Faces Jail Time for Wire Fraud and Identity Theft
A shocking turn of events has landed former Republican lawmaker George Santos in hot water as he pleads guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. The 36-year-old from Queens, New York, served as the US representative for New York’s third congressional district from January to December 2023 before being expelled, marking a historic downfall for the first Republican to face such consequences.
The charges against Santos are staggering:
- Credit card fraud: Santos stands accused of stealing personal identity and financial information from campaign contributors between July 2020 and October 2022. The Department of Justice (DoJ) alleges that he repeatedly charged their cards without authorization, even going as far as falsely claiming to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) that some contributions came from others, not the cardholders.
- Unemployment insurance fraud: Despite holding a job as a regional director at a Florida-based investment firm, Santos deceitfully applied for and received over $24,000 in COVID relief funds from June 2020 to April 2021. He falsely claimed to have been unemployed since March 2020 to qualify for the benefits.
- Defrauding political supporters: Santos misled prospective donors to his congressional campaign by instructing a political consultant to promise that their money would be used to further his election bid. Instead, he diverted $50,000 from two supporters into personal accounts, using the funds for luxuries like designer clothing.
- Defrauding the FEC: By falsely reporting to the FEC that his campaign had raised at least $250,000 from third-party contributors in a single quarter, Santos aimed to meet a financial benchmark essential for obtaining support from a national Republican party committee.
- Making false statements to the House: Santos allegedly submitted misinformation regarding his income and assets in a House disclosure, vastly inflating his financial standing.
Santos is scheduled to be sentenced on February 7, 2025, facing a possible prison term ranging from two to 22 years. Additionally, he must pay restitution of $373,749 and forfeit $205,003.
For more about identity fraud, check out our article: “Doubling of Identity Theft Victims With Suicidal Thoughts.”
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