US Lawmaker George Santos Charged with Fraud, Money Laundering

US Republican lawmaker George Santos was charged with fraud and money laundering following the unsealing of the indictment charges against the congressman. The charges come amidst many calls for Santos to resign over lying in his resume.

The indictment against Santos was unsealed on Wednesday, revealing that Santos is charged with defrauding supporters by laundering funds to pay for personal expenses and illegally receiving unemployment benefits while he was employed. Santos was also accused of making false statements to the House of Representatives about his assets, income, and liabilities. Santos appeared before the federal court in Central Islip, New York, where he pleaded not guilty to the charges.

“Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself,” said US attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace in a statement.

“He used political contributions to line his pockets, unlawfully applied for unemployment benefits that should have gone to New Yorkers who had lost their jobs due to the pandemic, and lied to the House of Representatives.”

House Republican leaders, which hold the majority in the chamber, said they would wait for the legal process to play out before they would take any further action against Santos, who was since released on a $500,000 bond. Santos told reporters after appearing in court that he plans to stay in Congress amidst calls for him to resign and would continue his bid for re-election.

On the same day, the Senate Commerce Committee voted to advance legislation that would tighten rules on trains that carry potentially explosive substances, like the train operated by Norfolk Southern that derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, back in February. The derailment caused a fire and released millions of hazardous substances into the environment.

The panel voted to advance the bipartisan bill by 16-11, which includes a mandate on the use of technology to identify equipment failures, prevent cursory railcar inspections, as well as require stronger safety regulations for trains that carry explosive substances.

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