Freshman congressman and senior liar George Santos surrendered himself to federal authorities at a courthouse in Lengthy Island, New York, on the morning of Could 10. The 34-year-old congressman pled not responsible to the 13 fees levied towards him by authorities within the Japanese District of New York and was launched on a $500,000 bond the identical day.

Santos faces fees for one depend of theft of public funds, two counts of mendacity to the Home of Representatives on monetary types, three counts of cash laundering, and 7 counts of wire fraud. All the fees are monetary in nature, however essentially the most severe by far are the seven fees of wire fraud, every of which may carry fines of as much as $250,000 and as much as 20 years in jail.

Marketing campaign Finance Shenanigans

In keeping with the indictment dated Could 9^th, Santos allegedly devised and executed a scheme to defraud his supporters by fraudulently inducing them to contribute funds to an entity listed as “Firm #1.” He’d promised that the contributions can be used to assist his run for the Home of Representatives. However the indictment alleges that as a substitute of utilizing these political contributions for his or her acknowledged goal, Santos spent 1000’s of the donated {dollars} on luxurious clothes, bank card funds, and different private bills.

What George Santos both did not know or selected to disregard is that misappropriating marketing campaign funds is one thing of a no-no in authorized circles. Extra particularly, his alleged actions violated the Federal Election Marketing campaign Act of 1971, which put limits on who might contribute to political campaigns and the way a lot they may contribute.

Firm #1 was neither a Tremendous PAC nor a 501(c)(4) social welfare group, which suggests it was strictly prohibited from accepting contributions from people exceeding $2,900 per particular person. No less than one particular person exceeded the contribution restrict on the path of Santos himself.

You Cannot Do That, George

Apparently, Santos reached out to plenty of folks, telling them (falsely) that their cash can be spent on tv ads bought by Firm #1 in assist of the congressman’s marketing campaign. And crucially, a minimum of a few of these potential donors fell for it.

The congressman allegedly directed a person listed as “Particular person #1” to solicit contributions from potential voters to Firm #1 by way of a collection of telephone calls, emails, and textual content messages. He despatched this nameless particular person a textual content saying that Firm #1 was “a small C4” that existed “simply to assist his race” and that there have been “no limits” with respect to contributions. Particular person #1 evidently knew even much less about marketing campaign finance legal guidelines than Mr. Santos, as they had been pleased to take Santos at his phrase.

Santos and Particular person #1 allegedly used these false statements to deceive a donor often called “Contributor #1,” into wiring $25,000 to Firm #1—making the widely fraudulent act actually classify as the precise crime of wire fraud.

Contributor #1 wasn’t the one one that Santos and Particular person #1 tricked into contributing tens of 1000’s of {dollars}. No less than one different particular person, “Contributor #2,” obtained deceptive emails claiming that “there are not any limits for contributors as we’re a 501c4 Impartial Expenditure committee below federal marketing campaign finance legislation and don’t coordinate straight with the Santos marketing campaign.” Subsequent textual content messages despatched by Santos himself reiterated the supposed want for contributions to be spent on tv ads. Contributor #2 was evidently swayed by this firehose of falsehoods, as they wired $25,000 to Firm #1 the identical day.

For sure, Firm #1 was the truth is related to the Santos marketing campaign. Santos allegedly accessed the checking account held by Firm #1 shortly after receiving the contributions, then promptly transferred the funds into his personal private accounts. He didn’t spend the funds on tv adverts as promised. As a substitute Santos allegedly made money withdrawals, bought designer clothes, made funds on his bank cards, automobile mortgage, and private money owed—with a minimum of among the remaining funds discovering their method to Santos’ associates.

Once more, you are not allowed to do this.

Unemployment Fraud?

Maybe essentially the most amusing of the costs levied towards Santos is for “fraudulent software for and receipt of unemployment advantages.”

In June 2020, Santos utilized for unemployment advantages below the Coronavirus Help, Reduction, and Financial Safety (CARES) Act. Perhaps he noticed our weblog publish again then, warning that the CARES advantages had been expiring quickly, and wished to get in whereas he might. Both means, he claimed that he had been unemployed since March 22, 2020, after which proceeded to say unemployment advantages on a weekly foundation for over a 12 months.

In keeping with Santos’ weekly unemployment certifications, he was unemployed, out there to tackle work, and eligible for advantages for the entire interval. In actuality, Santos had began a brand new job in February of 2020 as a Regional Director at an organization referred to within the indictment as “Funding Agency #1.” This phenomenon is often known as “being employed,” which precludes the flexibility to say unemployment advantages. He was finally paid about $24,744 in unemployment advantages on prime of the $120,000 wage he obtained in his Regional Director position.

Seems like Santos may need deserved unemployment advantages about as a lot as a German Shepherd.

Liar Liar

Lastly, Santos can be accused of mendacity about his monetary state of affairs on his legally required Home Disclosure types. No, these types don’t have anything to do with the “home” he lives in; moderately, the Home Disclosure Kind is a doc that each one Home of Representatives members should undergo the Home Committee, and is meant to incorporate correct details about the members’ earnings and belongings.

In Could of 2020 Santos filed two disclosures claiming that he solely earned $55,000 from a agency listed as “Firm #2.” Not solely did he overstate the quantity he obtained from Firm #2, he did not disclose the wage he obtained from Funding Agency #1.

The second infraction got here in September of 2022 when Santos filed one other Home Disclosure earlier than his reelection marketing campaign, once more overstating his earnings and belongings. This time, he additionally didn’t disclose the quantity he’d obtained from Funding Agency #1 and—paradoxically—the quantity he obtained in unemployment advantages.

What Now?

George Santos maintains his innocence and intent to run for reelection on the finish of his time period. The case towards him appears sure to lead to a minimum of some convictions—they do not arrest congresspeople with out some severe proof—however his political destiny is much less sure. Not solely has GOP management failed to handle his dishonesty prior to now, however there are not any mechanisms for mechanically ejecting a Consultant from the Home who has been charged or convicted with a felony.

Consultant Robert Garcia started the method to drive a vote on a movement to expel Santos from the Home on Could 16. Two thirds of the Home would want to vote to expel Santos for the movement to go, which places the Home’s 222 Republicans in an ungainly place. The vote theoretically provides the self-proclaimed a part of legislation and order the possibility to show their dedication to upholding the legislation, however voting to expel Santos would imply violating the unwritten Republican occasion coverage of all the time defending one another from the legislation.

We’ll know whether or not the Republicans select to guard Santos—and implicitly assist his in depth historical past of confirmed lies and criminality—quickly. But when his occasion refuses to behave, Congress fails to expel him, and his constituents reelect him, there is a first rate probability that Santos may serve his subsequent time period from behind bars.