George Santos pleads not guilty in indictment for money laundering, fraud, lying to House

Rep. George Santos has been accused by federal prosecutors of embezzling campaign contributions and lying in disclosures to the U.S. House of Representatives, in a wide-ranging indictment that follows months of scandal for the freshman congressmember.

On Wednesday, he pleaded not guilty before a federal judge on Long Island, and was released on $500,000 bond. The court mandated he stay in New York or Washington, D.C. while the trial plays out.

The 13-count indictment, which was unsealed by the U.S. Attorney's office for the Eastern District of New York on Wednesday morning, spanned several allegations of money laundering, theft of public funds and wire fraud.

Following his arraignment, Santos addressed dozens of reporters gathered outside the courthouse in Central Islip, Long Island.

“The reality is it’s a witch hunt because it makes no sense that in four months I’m indicted,” he said.

Santos lashed out at federal investigators for looking into his finances, but not investigating the finances of President Joe Biden’s family. Without addressing many specifics, he maintained his innocence, said he has no intention of resigning and plans to run for re-election in 2024.

Santos did challenge allegations that he defrauded the government of unemployment benefits.

“My employment was changed during the time,” he said. “I don’t understand where the government is coming from."

Santos has faced a litany of public and political pressure over exaggerations and falsehoods he made about his biography and resume — and federal prosecutors now say some of those have risen to the level of crimes.

“This indictment seeks to hold Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace in a statement. “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.”

Among other things, the indictment accuses Santos of convincing at least two people to donate $25,000 each to his fictitious company, which he promised to use on TV ads to support his candidacy.

Instead, Santos allegedly transferred the money to his personal account, where he used it to make cash withdrawals, purchase designer clothing, pay for his car and credit card, and compensate associates, “under the false pretense that the money would be used to support [George] Santos’ candidacy and then actually spending thousands of dollars of the solicited funds on personal expenses, including luxury designer clothing and credit card payments,” the indictment reads.

Santos assumed office in January as reports of misrepresentations about his personal and professional life started to emerge, fueling calls for his resignation. Santos’ election to the House helped tip the balance of power in Washington in favor of Republicans, who regained the majority and made significant gains in a state that has long favored Democrats in elections.

The congressman is separately facing a House ethics investigation and other legal troubles, including a fraud case in Brazil. The scrutiny following Santos has caused a political headache for Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California, who has stopped short of calling for Santos' resignation but has been faced with growing impatience from members of his own caucus.

Rep. Marc Molinaro, a Republican in his first term, told reporters on Tuesday that Santos needs to step down.

“George Santos should have resigned in December. He should have resigned in January. He should have resigned yesterday and maybe he'll resign today, but sooner or later, honesty and justice will be delivered to him," he said.

Santos has also been accused of applying for pandemic-era unemployment benefits in 2020, while he was working as a regional director at an investment firm earning $120,000 a year. Based on that false application, he received about $24,744 from the government, according to the document.

Santos then lied about his income, businesses and campaign donations on a financial disclosure statement that is required for candidates running for Congress, the indictment alleges.

Counts one through five stem from Santos’ fraudulent solicitation of campaign funds in October 2022.

Counts six through eight pertain to charges of interstate wire fraud, from when Santos transferred those funds into his personal account just days after the donations were made, the indictment shows.

Counts nine, 10 and 11 detail Santos’ alleged theft of public money after his application for pandemic unemployment benefits was approved in January 2021, while counts 12 and 13 describe his false statements on disclosure documents while running for office.

Santos, who represents parts of Long Island and Queens, is in federal custody on Long Island. He is expected to be arraigned later today at the U.S. district courthouse in Central Islip.

The congressman faces up to 20 years in prison for the top charges in the indictment. A spokesperson for Santos’ office referred Gothamist to his lawyer, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This is a developing story and will be updated.