Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call/Sipa USA/FILE
Representative George Santos, Republican of New York, arrives in the US capital on Tuesday, October 3, 2023.
CNN
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Federal prosecutors on Tuesday accused Rep. Jorge Santos of stealing donors’ identities and running thousands of dollars on their credit cards in fraudulent charges.
Among the 10 new charges against Santos are allegations that the New York Republican embezzled money from his organization and conspired with his former campaign treasurer to falsify donation amounts to hit fundraising goals set by national Republicans.
This new round of charges, which effectively replaces the previous case against Santos, is called a recidivism charge. This brings the total number of counts against him to 23, which is extensive and provides new and damaging details about Santos’ efforts to personally profit from his campaign.
It comes just days after Nancy Marks, who served as his treasurer during the 2022 campaign, pleaded guilty to one or more federal crimes and conspiracy to defraud the United States.
I submitted a 2022 first quarter report in which Marks stated during his deposition that he had borrowed $500,000 from the campaign through co-conspirator #1 and that the money had not been received at that time – the defendant’s formal address in court. “As the campaign treasurer, I know that the loan was not made at that time.”
In Tuesday’s filing, prosecutors from the Eastern District of New York discussed their efforts to effectively trick the GOP into giving more support to Santos by increasing their fundraising between Santos and Marks.
In May, Santos, 35, Innocent 13 Federal Charges. Those initial charges included seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds and two counts of making false statements to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Pressed Tuesday on whether he would resign, Santos said: “No, I won’t.”
“Can’t access my phone. I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Santos told CNN’s Manu Raju when asked about the allegation.
Following his arraignment earlier this year, the congressman said he was “in compliance with this whole process,” at the time blasting the allegations as a “witch hunt” and saying he would “fight my battle.”
Santos, who was elected last year to represent the district that includes parts of Long Island and Queens, has been under investigation by multiple jurisdictions and the House Ethics Committee. The Congressman has admitted to making some false claims about his education and financial status, but continues to deny the more serious allegations. He pleaded not guilty.
He announced in April They will seek re-election Represented New York’s 3rd Congressional District in 2024.
This story has been updated with additional details.
