He became known for his embellished CV and dubious finances – now the Republican US MP George Santos has been accused according to media reports. He put himself in police custody on Long Island.
The US scandal MP George Santos, who has fallen into disrepute because of numerous lies about his CV, has been charged with 13 counts and arrested. The 34-year-old Republican is charged with fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and false statements to the House of Representatives, as the federal prosecutor in New York announced on Wednesday. Santos was brought before a federal judge that afternoon, where he appeared voluntarily.
Misappropriate campaign donations
According to the statement by the public prosecutor, Santos is said to have misappropriated campaign donations for private expenses, among other things. He is also said to have unlawfully applied for and received unemployment benefits during the corona pandemic. The MP is also accused of making false statements about his income to the House of Representatives.
US media had already reported on the indictment on Tuesday. The charges were initially unknown.
Santos was first elected to the House of Representatives in Washington in November’s midterms. As a result, there were always new revelations about the politician’s sometimes outrageous misrepresentations, including about his university education, his career, his family and his religion.
CV largely invented
So Santos sealed a degree from an elite university and falsely claimed to have worked for the investment bank Goldman Sachs and the banking group Citigroup. He also falsely claimed that his mother survived the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center and also falsely identified himself as Jewish.
The MP of Brazilian descent has admitted many of the lies and has said he “embellished” his CV. Santos came under fire from within his own ranks, but declined to resign. Basically, it is not forbidden to lie to the public. But Santos’ financial behavior called the judiciary into action.
Source: Stern
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