George Santos

{{bronze}}
[[File:Rep. George Santos Official Portrait (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|165px|Santos, showing off his $500 [[botox]] treatment<ref>[https://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/leaked-audio-george-santos Leaked Audio And Staff Dispute Show Chaos Inside George Santos’ Office] by Josh Kovensky & Hunter Walker (February 2, 2023 7:17 p.m.) ''Talking Points Memo''.</ref>]]
[[File:Spinal Tap - Up to Eleven.jpg|thumb|right|165px|"11" on the [[bullshit]]-o-meter]]
{{uspolitics}}
{{cquote|Within the ranks of the United States Congress, there are felons galore. There’s people with all sorts of sheisty backgrounds, and all of a sudden, George Santos is the [[Mary Magdalene]] of the United States Congress.|||George Santos<ref>[https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/11/george-santos-mary-magdalene-expel/ George Santos, Calling Himself Mary Magdalene of Congress, Knows He’s Done] by Inae Oh (November 26, 2023) ''Mother Jones''.</ref>}}
{{cquote|Being a chronic liar isn't a disqualification for a Republican candidate… it's a prerequisite.|||Clay Bennett<ref>[https://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/c/chronic_liar.asp Chronic Liar Cartoon] by Clay Bennett (12/29/2022) ''CartoonStock''.</ref>}}
{{cquote|To hell with this place|||George Santos, after being kickbanned from Congress<ref>Sam Levine, [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/dec/02/george-santos-accusations-ex-colleagues ‘To hell with this place’: George Santos sharpens attacks after expulsion]. ''The Guardian'', 2 December 2023.</ref>}}
'''George Anthony Devolder Santos'''<ref name=diariojustica>[https://www.jusbrasil.com.br/diarios/69206995/djrj-v-editais-e-demais-publicacoes-07-10-2013-pg-89 2ª Página 89 da V - Editais e demais publicações do Diário de Justiça do Rio de Janeiro (DJRJ) de 7 de Outubro de 2013] (07 Out 2013) ''Jusbrasil''.</ref> {{lived|1988<ref name=diariojustica/>}} (a.k.a. Anthony Devolder, George Devolder-Santos, Kitara Ravache<ref>[https://www.politico.com/news/2023/01/20/george-santos-appears-to-admit-drag-queen-past-in-wiki-post-00078812  George Santos appears to admit drag queen past in Wiki post: A user with the name Anthony Devolder wrote in 2011 that they won several drag pageants. Anthony Devolder is a Santos alias.] by Christopher Cadelago (01/20/2023 02:54 PM EST) ''Politico''.</ref><ref>[https://nypost.com/2023/01/22/george-santos-admits-to-dressing-up-as-woman-but-denies-he-was-a-drag-queen/ George Santos admits to dressing up as woman, but denies he was a ‘drag queen’] by Patrick Reilly (January 22, 2023 12:21am) ''New York Post''.</ref> and Anthony Zabrovsky<ref>[https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3791780-santos-reportedly-used-anthony-zabrovsky-alias-on-charity-gofundme-page/ Santos reportedly used ‘Anthony Zabrovsky’ alias on charity GoFundMe page] by Natalie Prieb (12/29/22 11:08 AM ET) ''The Hill''.</ref>) is a talented [[conman]] who managed to get himself elected to the [[United States Congress]] running as a [[Republican]] (naturally), based on his web of [[deceit]]&nbsp;— he lives a life that is absolutely fabulist. 

While Santos' antics may seem fantastical and 'stranger than fiction', he is far from the only "politician" to grift themselves into the halls of power. [[Ignaz Trebitsch Lincoln]], for instance, had a much more storied career as a conman in the first half of the 20<sup>th</sup> century; who not created countless identities for himself, but also managed to dupe both the United States government and the general public for decades before his con was exposed.

Santos ran for Congress in both 2020 (losing by 56% to 43% in the general) and 2022 (winning by 54% to 46%),<ref>[https://ballotpedia.org/George_Devolder-Santos George Devolder-Santos] ''Ballotpedia''</ref> finding that turning the fantastical claims up to 11 worked like a charm in 2022.<ref>[https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/01/george-santos-the-luckiest-liar-in-politics.html The Luckiest Liar in Politics How George Santos outran the truth.] by David Freedlander (Jan. 15, 2023) ''New York Magazine''. {{quotebox|All the Democrats running for the seat were Jewish, and around this time [the 2022 campaign] Santos began to say he was too, which was not something he had mentioned much [in the 2020 campaign], if at all, in his first run for Congress, telling one person who raised money for him that his mother was Jewish and his father was Angolan and that they met in Brazil.}}</ref> Santos' high level of deception means that absolutely nothing he says, including his denials, should be believed without independent corroborating evidence. 

On 1 December 2023, he was expelled from Congress by a vote of 311 to 114.<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-lawmaker-george-santos-indicted-fraud-charges-faces-house-expulsion-vote-2023-12-01/ "Indicted Republican lawmaker George Santos expelled from U.S. House"], Reuters, 2023 December 1</ref> A minority of Republicans (105-112) even had enough of his bullshit.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2023/house-vote-george-santos-expulsion/ How each House member voted on expelling George Santos from Congress] by Kati Perry & Adrián Blanco (Dec. 1, 2023) ''The Washington Post''.</ref> In April 2025, he was sentenced to over seven years in prison for federal wire fraud and aggravated identity theft after pleading guilty to these charges in 2024.<ref name=marcelo>Philip Marcelo, [https://apnews.com/article/george-santos-fraud-sentencing-prison-0961831af8870686853acb22d049c85e Ex-US Rep. George Santos sentenced to over 7 years in prison for fraud and identity theft]. ''AP News'', April 2025.</ref> He served only three months of that sentence before being commuted by Trump on October 17, 2025.<ref>{{cite web | last=Gambino | first=Lauren | title=Trump says he has commuted sentence of George Santos in federal fraud case | website=the Guardian | date=2025-10-18 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/17/trump-commuted-sentence-george-santos | access-date=2025-10-19}}</ref>

==Ethnic impersonation==
{{main|Ethnic impersonation}}
Santos has made false, contradictory, and unbelievable claims about his ancestry:
*That his maternal grandparents were [[Ukrainian]] [[Jews]] with the last name of Zabrovsky<ref name=kaczynski1>[https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/28/politics/george-santos-false-claims-kfile/index.html More false claims from George Santos about his work, education and family history emerge] by Andrew Kaczynski & Em Steck (December 29, 2022) ''CNN''.</ref>
*That his mother was born in [[Belgium]] (she was actually born in [[Brazil]])<ref name=kaczynski1/>
*That he was "Jew-''ish''" not "Jewish", and also that he is an American Jew and a Latino Jew.<ref name=kaczynski1/> This impersonation is particularly egregious because in 2011 Santos had tried to make a joke about [[Hitler]] killing "the Jews and black[s] mostly",<ref>[https://patch.com/new-york/glencove/george-santos-posted-deeply-offensive-comment-hitler-jews George Santos Posted 'Deeply Offensive' Comment About Hitler, Jews: Screenshots from over a decade reviewed by Patch show Rep. George Santos has what the ADL called a "deeply offensive" social media history.] by Jacqueline Sweet's (Jan 26, 2023) ''Patch: Glen Cove''.</ref> and in 2022 he falsely claimed that his Jewish grandparents fled the [[Holocaust]].<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/21/politics/george-santos-geneaology/index.html Incoming congressman’s claims his grandparents fled the Holocaust contradicted by genealogy records] by Em Steck and Andrew Kaczynski (December 22, 2022) ''CNN''.</ref> Santos later trebled-down on the impersonation problem in a long interview with [[Piers Morgan]], claiming that "everybody’s pounding down for a pound of flesh"- referring to [[Shakespeare]]'s [[antisemitic]] play {{wpl|The Merchant of Venice|"The Merchant of Venice"|.}}<ref name=milbank>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/02/24/george-santos-piers-morgan-interview-dana-milbank George Santos speaks the truth!] by Dana Milbank (February 24, 2023 at 7:30 a.m. EST) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>
*That his father has {{wpl|Angola|Angolan}} ancestry<ref name=ashford>[https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/19/nyregion/george-santos-ny-republicans.html Who Is Rep.-Elect George Santos? His Résumé May Be Largely Fiction. Mr. Santos, a Republican from New York, says he’s the “embodiment of the American dream.” But he seems to have misrepresented a number of his career highlights.] by Grace Ashford & Michael Gold (Dec. 19, 2022) ''The New York Times''.</ref> and that he himself is therefore Black and Jewish.<ref>[https://archive.is/SsP4a George Santos denied the authenticity of the leaked Facebook post reported by the Patch yesterday. “I have a black father and a Jewish ancestry. Let's have a genuine conversation. It's not real,” Santos told me this morning. (FB post below)] by Kate Santaliz (6:44 AM · Jan 27, 2023) ''Twitter'' (archived from 12 Feb 2023 22:22:57 UTC).</ref>
*:"I could probably make a Black baby on my own."<ref name=scribner>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/2023/12/17/george-santos-ziwe George Santos talked to Ziwe. He had a lot to say.] by Herb Scribner & Anne Branigin (Updated December 18, 2023 at 1:28 p.m. EST; Published December 17, 2023 at 4:58 p.m. EST) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>
*:"I can also go make one because my father’s Black. So the [[gene]] does skip a generation. It skipped me so maybe, you know, I’ll have a Black baby."<ref name=scribner/>
None of his falsehoods are his fault though, he is just the victim of "[[fake news]], [[witch hunts]] and [[hoax]]es"; according to Santos, [[Blaming the victim|''he'' is the victim, not the people that he offended or harmed]].<ref name=milbank/>

==Credential abuse==
{{main|Credentialism#Credential abuse}}
Santos has claimed to have attended a variety of prestigious educational institutions. The reality is, the extent of his education is that he obtained a high school equivalency diploma.<ref name=ashford/> Institutions that he has falsely claimed to be associated with or have degrees from:
*Horace Mann School, a college preparatory school<ref name=kaczynski1/>
*Baruch College — bachelor's degree in finance and [[economics]],<ref name=ashford/> claiming a 3.89 grade point average (out of 4)<ref name=fandos>[https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/11/nyregion/george-santos-resume.html George Santos’s Secret Résumé: A Wall Street Star With a 3.9 G.P.A.: Two years before his successful run for Congress, George Santos gave Long Island Republican officials a résumé that reads like a detailed road map of his lies.] by Nicholas Fandos (Jan. 11, 2023) ''The New York Times''.</ref>
*New York University — master of business administration,<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/19/politics/george-santos-resume/index.html Incoming Republican congressman George Santos under scrutiny for resume discrepancies] by Em Steck and Chandelis Duster (December 20, 2022) ''CNN''.</ref> also claiming a 710 (out of 800) on his GMAT entrance exam.<ref name=fandos/>

==Work history==
===Claimed===
Santos has falsely claimed to have some peculiar forms of employment:
*TV shows ("the suite life of Zack and Cody"{{sic}} (2005-2008) and "Hanna Montana" (2006-2011)) and the film "THE INVASION" (2007). These were perhaps meant in jest since he wrongly associated famous names with these productions.<ref name=wikipedia/>
*Citi Group (2011-2014) — asset manager associate<ref name=resume>[https://int.nyt.com/data/documenttools/resume-of-george-santos/95321af46e1dc223/full.pdf George A. Devolder Santos] résumé via ''The New York Times''.</ref>
*A reporter for the Brazilian media company ''Globo'' (2013)<ref name=read>[https://www.curbed.com/2023/01/george-santos-roommate-nightmare.html What George Santos Was Really Like as a Roommate] by Bridget Read (Jan. 25, 2023) ''Curbed''.</ref>
*A model for New York Fashion Week (2013)<ref name=read/>
*Claimed to be running a [[charity]] called Friends of Pets United from 2013-2018;<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/06/nyregion/santos-pets-animal-charity.html About Those 2,500 Dogs That George Santos Claims He Saved: Several people questioned the way Mr. Santos’s charity, Friends of Pets United, handled funds that were raised to benefit the animals.] by Michael Gold & Grace Ashford (Feb. 6, 2023) ''The New York Times''.</ref> the "charity" was unregistered.<ref name=sweet>[https://www.politico.com/news/2023/02/01/feds-probing-santos-service-dog-charity-scheme-00080706 Feds probing Santos’ role in service dog charity scheme] by Jacqueline Sweet (02/01/2023 03:34 PM EST) ''Politico''.</ref>
*His résumé sent to the New York Republican Party in 2020 had some true bits but also lots of bullshit:<ref name=resume/><ref name=fandos/>
**Met Global Inc. (2014-2016) — business development manager
**Goldman Sachs — project manager
**LinkBridge Investors (2017-) — vice president
*Producer of the "Spider-Man Musical" (2022) on Broadway<ref>[https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-02-03/george-santos-produced-broadway-s-spider-man-musical-at-least-he-claims-he-did George Santos Produced Ill-Fated Spider-Man Musical. At Least, He Claims He Did] by Laura Davison (February 3, 2023 at 12:28 PM PST) ''Bloomberg''.</ref>

===Actual===
*With his mother, Santos was a paid bingo player in Brazil in 2008<ref>[https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/01/george-santos-lies-have-short-legs-whatsapp-group-brazil/ “Lies Have Short Legs”: Inside the Brazilian WhatsApp Group Exposing George Santos: “He always convinced people that everything was a big misunderstanding.”] by Isabela Dias (January 26, 2023) ''Mother Jones''.</ref> — bingo is considered illegal gambling in Brazil.<ref>[https://revistagalileu.globo.com/Revista/noticia/2017/07/tudo-o-que-voce-precisa-saber-sobre-jogos-de-azar-no-brasil.html Tudo o que você precisa saber sobre jogos de azar no Brasil: Congresso Federal coloca as cartas na mesa e discute a legalização dos jogos de azar com a expectativa de arrecadar impostos de um mercado bilionário que atualmente opera de maneira ilícita] by Thiago Tanji (11 Jul 2017 - 16h52) ''Galileu''.</ref>
*Customer service representative at a call center for Dish Network (2011-2012)<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/23/nyregion/george-santos-republican-resume.html George Santos’s Early Life: Odd Jobs, Bad Debts and Lawsuits: Representative-elect George Santos, who is under scrutiny over potentially misrepresenting key parts of his campaign biography, had other undisclosed troubles in his early career.] by Michael Gold et al. (Dec. 23, 2022, 7:56 a.m. ET) ''The New York Times''.</ref>
*He worked at HotelsPro, a subsidiary of MetGlobal, in Florida in an unknown capacity, for at most 9 months in 2016<ref>[https://www.orlandosentinel.com/politics/os-ne-george-santos-time-in-orlando-20230209-rrzt7wawrbfpdhr6547shtswem-story.html George Santos spent 9 months in Orlando, but doing what?] by Steven Lemongello (Feb 10, 2023 at 8:02 am) ''Orlando Sentinel''.</ref>
*Santos under the name Anthony Devolder worked as a sales freelancer for LinkBridge in 2017<ref>[https://www.newsday.com/long-island/politics/santos-linkbridge-lawsuit-hf4e6kjq George Santos may have inflated role at finance company, records show] by Paul LaRocco & Scott Eidler (January 18, 2023 10:10 pm) ''Newsday''.</ref>
*From 2020-2021, Santos (under the name Anthony Devolder) was employed at Florida-based Harbor City Capital and became the New York Regional Director.<ref>[https://www.marketscreener.com/amp/quote/stock/CITY-CAPITAL-CORPORATION-120789343/news/City-Capital-Harbor-City-Capital-Corp-Introduces-New-Team-Member-30941800/ City Capital : Harbor City Capital Corp Introduces New Team Member] (July 17, 2020 at 11:16 am) ''MarketScreener''.</ref><ref name=kaczynski2/> This was at the same time as his first campaign for Congress. In one 2020 interview, Santos claimed that he managed a $1.5 billion fund with 12%-26% annual return.<ref name=kaczynski2>[https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/13/politics/george-santos-ponzi-scheme/index.html George Santos said accused ‘Ponzi scheme’ he worked at was ‘100% legitimate’ when accused of fraud in 2020] by Andrew Kaczynski & Em Steck (January 13, 2023) ''CNN''.</ref> In 2021, the Securities and Exchange Commission filed a lawsuit against Harbor City Capital, calling it a "classic Ponzi scheme".<ref>[https://www.sec.gov/litigation/complaints/2021/comp-pr2021-74.pdf Securities and Exchange Commission vs. Harbor City Capital et al.] (April 20, 2021) ''Securities and Exchange Commission''.</ref> Santos was not named in the lawsuit.

==Drag queen==
In one strange example of [[hypocrisy]], Santos was also discovered to have performed as a drag queen named Kitara Ravache while living in Brazil,<ref name=wikipedia>[https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Anthonydevolder&oldid=426494196 User:Anthonydevolder] (19:43, 28 April 2011) ''Wikipedia''.</ref><ref>[https://www.reuters.com/world/us/embattled-us-rep-santos-was-drag-queen-brazil-pageants-say-associates-2023-01-19/ Embattled U.S. Rep. George Santos was drag queen in Brazil pageants, associates say] by Steven Grattan (January 19, 20235:16 PM PST) ''Reuters''.</ref> a revelation made more ''interesting'' when you consider the fact that a drag performer would somehow join a political party (GOP) that is widely infamous for actively trying to [[Demonization|demonize]] and criminalize [[cross-dressing]] and any form of [[queer]] culture.<ref>[https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2023/01/gop-lawmakers-now-want-ban-drag-brunches-sundays GOP lawmakers now want to ban drag brunches on Sundays: An Arizona Republican introduced a law banning drag on Sunday mornings.] by John Russell (January 9, 2023) ''LGBTQ Nation''.</ref><ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/02/14/drag-shows-republican-bills-bans GOP targets drag shows with new bills in at least 14 states] by Kimberly Kindy (February 14, 2023 at 6:00 a.m. EST) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>

==Crimes==
In 2010, Santos confessed to a crime that he committed in Brazil in 2008, stealing the checkbook of a man whom his mother was caring for.<ref name=ashford/> As of 2023, the case against Santos remains unresolved due to his fleeing Brazil for the US.<ref name=ashford/> In 2023, he again confessed to the crime and additionally agreed to pay restitution in order to avoid prosecution.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/05/11/george-santos-brazil-case-theft/ George Santos confesses to theft in Brazil to avoid prosecution: A day earlier, the New York congressman pleaded not guilty to wide-ranging charges brought by federal prosecutors in his state] by Terrence McCoy (May 11, 2023) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>

In 2016, Santos was accused of stealing $3000 that was raised on GoFundMe and was intended to pay for surgery for a homeless veteran's dying service [[dog]].<ref name=mandler>[https://www.cbsnews.com/news/george-santos-allegedly-stole-thousands-gofundme-dying-service-dog-blocked/ GoFundMe blocked George Santos after he allegedly pocketed thousands from a fundraiser for a dying service dog] by C. Mandler (January 19, 2023 / 4:07 PM) ''CBS News''.</ref> GoFundMe subsequently blocked Santos' email address.<ref name=mandler/> In February 2023, The [[FBI]] investigated Santos' role in this scheme.<ref name=sweet/>

In 2018, Santos was charged with theft in [[Pennsylvania]] for writing bad checks to purchase puppies from [[Amish]] farmers.<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/14/politics/santos-puppies-amish-farmer-check/index.html Amish farmer alleges George Santos wrote him bad check in exchange for puppies] by Gary Tuchman et al. (February 14, 2023) ''CNN''.</ref> Santos' childhood friend, lawyer Tiffany Bogosian, arranged to have his criminal record expunged in 2020, likely based on false information that he provided her<ref>[https://abcnews.go.com/US/attorney-helped-santos-fight-bad-check-charges-now/story?id=97036595 Attorney who helped Santos fight bad check charges now thinks he wasn't innocent] by Will Steakin et al. (February 10, 2023, 5:29 PM) ''ABC News''.</ref> (just in time for his first Congressional run).

A former boyfriend of Santos, Leandro Bis, accused him of suggesting that they marry in 2013 so that Bis could obtain permanent residency in the US.<ref name=steakin>[https://abcnews.go.com/US/promised-green-cards-catfishing-threats-santos-boyfriends-left/story?id=96797395 Promised green cards, catfishing, threats: How George Santos' ex-boyfriends say they were left feeling trapped, manipulated] by Will Steakin (January 31, 2023, 2:20 PM) ''ABC News''.</ref> Santos later planned an engagement party to Pedro Vilarva in 2014. Santos was actually married to Uadla Vieira from 2012 to 2019,<ref name=steakin/> but Santos' allegedly offering marriage for residency to Bis throws the legitimacy of his marriage to Vieira into doubt. Equality Forum, an [[LGBTQ]] organization, submitted a letter to the Congressional ethics committee that requested that they investigate whether Santos had committed a felony (8 USC Section 1325(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act) by participating in a fraudulent marriage.<ref>[https://www.washingtonblade.com/2023/02/15/group-requests-fraud-inquiry-into-george-santos-marriage-immigration/ Group requests fraud inquiry into George Santos marriage, immigration] by Christopher Kane (February 15, 2023) ''Washington Blade''.</ref>

Two of Santos' former roommates accused him of stealing one of the roommates' $520 Burberry scarf when they saw a video of Santos wearing it while speaking at a [[2021 U.S. coup attempt|January 5, 2021]] "[[Irony|Stop the Steal]]" rally.<ref>[https://www.businessinsider.com/santos-wore-stolen-burberry-scarf-tol-rally-report-2023-1 George Santos' former roommate says the congressman stole his $520 Burberry scarf and wore it to a 'Stop the Steal' rally: report] by Hannah Getahun (Jan 14, 2023, 9:27 PM) ''Business Insider''.</ref><ref>[https://nypost.com/2023/01/14/george-santos-wore-stolen-clothes-to-stolen-election-rally/ George Santos wore stolen scarf to ‘Stop the Steal’ rally, ex-roommate says] by Jon Levine (January 14, 2023) ''New York Post''. This story includes an image of Santos with the scarf in question speaking at the rally.</ref>

The SEC criminal complaint against Harbor City Capital may yet involve Santos, particularly because of his making fantastical financial claims in his sales pitches:

{{quotebox|He was saying if you give me $300,000, I am going to make you money. I’m going to make you $3 million.<ref>Jonathan O'Connell, Isaac Stanley-Becker, Emma Brown and Samuel Oakford, [https://archive.ph/u4MZo ‘I felt like we were in “Goodfellas’’’: How George Santos wooed investors for alleged Ponzi scheme: Accounts gathered by The Post detail how Santos used lavish dinner, inflated credentials to pitch Harbor City securities]. Archived from ''The Washington Post'', 25 January 2023.</ref>}}

There is strong evidence that Santos committed crimes in connection with this 2022 election campaign,<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/07/politics/george-santos-treasurer/index.html Santos’ unusual $199.99 campaign expenses are putting scrutiny on his longtime treasurer] by Fredreka Schouten (4:44 PM EST, Tue February 7, 2023) ''CNN''.</ref><ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/09/politics/george-santos-fec-campaign-complaint/index.html Watchdog group asks FEC to investigate embattled New York Rep. George Santos’ campaign finances] by Fredreka Schouten (4:32 PM EST, Mon January 9, 2023) ''CNN''.</ref><ref>[https://www.businessinsider.com/george-santos-ethics-complaints-end-citizens-united-fec-oce-doj-2023-1 George Santos hit with 3 new ethics complaints over his campaign spending, fundraising, and financial disclosure] by Bryan Metzger (Jan 9, 2023, 10:54 AM) ''Business Insider''.</ref><ref>[https://rollcall.com/2023/01/13/legal-woes-grow-for-george-santos-fec-complaint/ Legal woes grow for George Santos as another watchdog files FEC complaint] by Jim Saksa (January 13, 2023 at 5:30am) ''Roll Call''.</ref> and Santos was investigated by the Federal Election Commission<ref>[https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/15/george-santos-told-by-fec-to-name-campaign-treasurer-or-face-ban-on-fundraising.html FEC tells George Santos to name campaign treasurer or face ban on fundraising and spending] by Kevin Breuninger (Feb 15 202312:15 PM EST) ''CNBC''.</ref> as well as the Department of Justice.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2023/01/27/santos-doj-investigation-fec/ Justice Department asks FEC to stand down as prosecutors probe Santos: The request is the clearest sign to date of an active criminal investigation examining the congressman’s campaign finances] by Isaac Stanley-Becker (January 27, 2023 at 6:20 p.m. EST) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>

Santos was also under investigation for as yet unknown crimes by the Nassau County District Attorney<ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/new-york-prosecutor-investigating-rep-elect-george-santos-campaign-rcna63542 New York prosecutor looking into Rep.-elect George Santos, citing 'fabrications and inconsistencies' “No one is above the law and if a crime was committed in this county, we will prosecute it," Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly said in a statement.] by Dareh Gregorian (Dec. 28, 2022, 1:51 PM PST) ''NBC News''.</ref> and the New York State attorney general’s office.<ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-politics-and-policy/ny-attorney-generals-office-looking-allegations-george-santos-rcna62957 N.Y. attorney general's office 'looking into' allegations against George Santos: The congressman-elect, who made history last month for being elected as an openly gay Republican, was the subject of a bombshell New York Times investigation Monday.] by Matt Lavietes (Dec. 22, 2022, 11:26 AM PST) ''NBC News''.</ref>

In March 2023, Gustavo Ribeiro Trelha, who had been convicted of credit card skimming in 2017 and subsequently deported to Brazil, declared under oath that Santos was the mastermind behind the fraudulent scheme. Santos had been interviewed by the Secret Service in 2017, but was not arrested.<ref>[https://www.politico.com/news/2023/03/09/santos-masterminded-atm-fraud-feds-00086417  George Santos masterminded 2017 ATM fraud, former roommate tells feds: "Santos taught me how to skim card information and how to clone cards," Gustavo Ribeiro Trelha, who was convicted of felony access device fraud, said Wednesday in a sworn declaration submitted to the FBI.] by Jacqueline Sweet (03/09/2023 05:49 PM EST) ''Politico''.</ref>

In May 2023, the United States Justice Department charged Santos with a 13 count indictment, including 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 House of Representatives.<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/09/politics/george-santos-charged-justice-department/index.html "Santos in federal custody as feds unseal 13-count indictment"] by Mark Morales, Evan Perez, and Gregory Kireg, CNN, 2023 May 10</ref> Santos had claimed in October 2022 that Democrats were "soft on crime" — oops!<ref>[https://www.thedailybeast.com/george-santos-soft-on-crime-tweet-has-aged-like-milk George Santos’ ‘Soft on Crime’ Tweet Has Aged Like Milk] by Erik Uebelacker (May. 10, 2023 11:52AM ET) ''The Daily Beast''.</ref>

In October 2023, the Justice Department issued a superseding indictment with additional charges, including conspiracy, identity theft and embezzlement. Santos allegedly ripped off campaign donors by using their credit card numbers to pad his personal bank account.<ref>[https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/congressman-george-santos-charged-conspiracy-wire-fraud-false-statements-0 Congressman George Santos Charged With Conspiracy, Wire Fraud, False Statements, Falsification of Records, Aggravated Identity Theft, and Credit Card Fraud]. United States Department of Justice, Eastern District of New York, 10 October 2023.</ref><ref>Jake Offenhartz, [https://apnews.com/article/george-santos-credit-card-fraud-f723e69a777b02a2e6b87595f45c21ce Rep. Santos faces new charges he stole donor IDs, made unauthorized charges to their credit cards]. ''AP News'', 10 October 2023.</ref>

In November 2023, the House Ethics Committee released the results of their investigation into Santos. The investigating panel said that he merits "public condemnation, is beneath the dignity of the office, and has brought severe discredit upon the House."<ref name=foran>Clare Foran, Marshall Cohen, Melanie Zanona and Annie Grayer, [https://lite.cnn.com/2023/11/16/politics/ethics-committee-releases-santos-report/index.html George Santos announces he won’t seek reelection following damning Ethics Committee report]. ''CNN'', 16 November 2023.</ref> The report summarized Santos' criminal behavior:

{{quotebox|Representative Santos sought to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy for his own personal financial profit. 

He blatantly stole from his campaign. 

He deceived donors into providing what they thought were contributions to his campaign but were in fact payments for his personal benefit.

He reported fictitious loans to his political committees to induce donors and party committees to make further contributions to his campaign – and then diverted more campaign money to himself as purported “repayments” of those fictitious loans. 

He used his connections to high value donors and other political campaigns to obtain additional funds for himself through fraudulent or otherwise questionable business dealings. 

And he sustained all of this through a constant series of lies to his constituents, donors, and staff about his background and experience.<ref>[https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24169355-report-on-ethics-george-santos In the matter of allegations relating to Representative George Santos]. United States House of Representatives, Report of the Committee on Ethics, 14 November 2023.</ref>}}

Santos called the report a "disgusting politicized smear" and then said he would not be seeking re-election in 2024.<ref name=foran />

==Breaking the Overton window==
{{main|Overton window}}
Santos has the distinction of pushing the deceit so far that it has actually drawn some tepid condemnation from within his own Republican Party.<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/15/politics/george-santos-republicans-resign-house/index.html Republicans shy away from calling on Santos to resign as Democrats renew push for more information]</ref> [[Anna Paulina Luna]], fellow Congressional freshman, has drawn nary a Republican complaint for her ethnic impersonation, possible stolen valor or other fabrications. Similarly, there were no noticeable Republican complaints about [[Lauren Boebert]]'s fabrications or crimes. The misdeeds of these two miscreants was clearly just considered a nudge at the Overton window, and hence acceptable to the Republican Party.

In contrast, several New York State elected Republicans called on Santos to resign.<ref>[https://www.axios.com/2023/01/11/scoop-third-ny-house-republican-calls-santos-resignation More NY House Republicans call for Santos to resign] by Andrew Solender (Jan 11, 2023) ''Axios''.</ref> Empty suit Senator [[Mitt Romney]] squeaked up and told Santos to his face during the 2023 Presidential State of the Union Address, "You don’t belong here."<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/07/politics/sotu-santos-romney/index.html Romney told Santos ‘You don’t belong here’ in tense exchange in House chamber before SOTU] by Melanie Zanona & Manu Raju (February 8, 2023) ''CNN''.</ref> Former Speaker of the House [[Kevin McCarthy]], on the other hand, was chained at the hip to Santos; McCarthy couldn't risk causing further [[chaos]] in the House and jeopardizing his own speakership to which he was narrowly elected after unusually protracted voting.<ref>[https://www.npr.org/2023/01/06/1147470516/kevin-mccarthy-speaker-of-the-house-vote Kevin McCarthy is elected House speaker after 15 votes and days of negotiations] by Barbara Sprunt & Susan Davis (January 7, 2023 at 1:43 AM ET) ''NPR''.</ref> McCarthy cannot risk alienating or losing a single Republican member of the House in his lust for power, and Santos is clearly the most vulnerable. On January 18, 2023, McCarthy initially gave Santos two committee assignments, Committee on Small Business and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/17/politics/george-santos-committee-assignments/index.html Santos named to two House committees even as he faces growing calls to resign] by Manu Raju et al. (January 18, 2023) ''CNN''.</ref> Santos was not qualified for these, nor was he qualified for anything else, but McCarthy was unjustly optimistic that there wouldn't be blowback and Santos' lack of qualifications was hardly exceptional for Republicans in the House. By January 31, Santos had resigned from both committees, but not his post in Congress, remaining defiant.<ref>[https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3837430-santos-steps-down-from-committee-assignments/ Santos steps down from committee assignments] by Emily Brooks & Mychael Schnell (01/31/23 10:05 AM ET) ''The Hill''.</ref> Although McCarthy seemed fine with Santos being investigated by the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE),<ref>[https://nypost.com/2023/02/07/house-ethics-panel-probing-george-santos-kevin-mccarthy/ George Santos being probed by House ethics panel, Kevin McCarthy confirms] by Mark Moore & Samuel Chamberlain (February 7, 2023 12:47pm) ''New York Post''.</ref> McCarthy also planned to remove most of the power from the OCE.<ref>[https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/01/mccarthys-day-one-plan-gut-the-office-of-congressional-ethics/ McCarthy’s Day One Plan: Gut the Office of Congressional Ethics] by Russ Choma (January 8, 2023) ''Mother Jones''.</ref>

==House work==
In January 2023, Santos displayed the [[Alt-right glossary#OK|"OK Hand Sign"]] while on the House floor to indicate that he is a member of the [[alt-right]] and to confirm his eternal trolling.<ref>[https://www.newsday.com/long-island/politics/santos-congress-three-percenters-ee8pcdlw George Santos displays hand gesture used by far-right] by Laura Figueroa Hernandez (January 6, 2023 4:10 pm) ''Newsday''.</ref>

Surprisingly, Santos has introduced two bills in the House of Representatives as of April 2023. The first, also surprisingly, could actually benefit his constituents, the SALT Relief Act, which would remove a tax deduction cap from properties in highly-taxed properties that disproportionately affected people in regions who voted against [[Donald Trump|Trump]] (e.g., New York, New Jersey and California).<ref>[https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3880981-george-santos-introduces-first-bill-salt-relief/ George Santos introduces first bill — SALT relief] by Lauren Sforza (03/02/23 12:29 PM ET) ''The Hill''.</ref>

Less surprising was his [[anti-vaxx]]-inspired second bill, the MINAJ Act, named after musician {{w|Nicki Minaj}}, who in 2021 during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] wrote the widely-mocked, "My cousin in Trinidad won’t get the vaccine cuz his friend got it & became impotent. His testicles became swollen,” Minaj wrote on Twitter at the time. “His friend was weeks away from getting married, now the girl called off the wedding. So just [[pray]] on it & make sure you’re comfortable with ur decision, not bullied."<ref name=kurtz>[https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/3956638-george-santos-unveils-minaj-act-to-limit-vaccine-mandates/ George Santos unveils MINAJ Act to limit vaccine mandates] by Judy Kurtz (04/18/23 11:38 AM ET) ''The Hill''.</ref> The bill would prohibit the federal government from "any mandate requiring an individual to receive a vaccine that has not been authorized for marketing for at least ten years unless a public health emergency is declared.".<ref name=kurtz/>

[[Ironically]], one of the crimes that Santos allegedly committed — theft of public money for claiming unemployment insurance during the COVID pandemic&nbsp;— is related to a House bill that he had cosponsored, "Protecting Taxpayers and Victims of Unemployment Fraud Act". The Act, if it were to become law, would incentivize states to prosecute misuse of COVID relief funds.<ref>[https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3998041-santos-sponsored-bill-on-covid-unemployment-fraud-which-is-now-one-of-the-charges-he-is-facing/ Santos sponsored bill on COVID unemployment fraud, which is now one of the charges he is facing] by Lauren Sforza (05/10/23 2:26 PM ET) ''The Hill''.</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Santos, George}}
[[Category:2021 U.S. coup attempt]]
[[Category:Alt-right]]
[[Category:Antisemites]]
[[Category:Anti-vaccination movement]]
[[Category:Brazil]]
[[Category:Catholics]]
[[Category:Conservative deceit]]
[[Category:Convicted felons]]
[[Category:Denialists]]
[[Category:Florida]]
[[Category:Former United States Representatives]]
[[Category:Internalized discrimination]]
[[Category:LGBTQ people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:New York]]
[[Category:Racists]]
[[Category:Right-wing activists]]
[[Category:Shysters]]
[[Category:Trolls]]
[[Category:Trumpism]]
[[Category:United States politicians]]
[[Category:Vatniks]]

Categories: 2021 U.S. coup attempt, Alt-right, Antisemites, Anti-vaccination movement, Brazil, Catholics, Conservative deceit, Convicted felons, Denialists, Florida, Former United States Representatives, Internalized discrimination, LGBTQ people, Living people, New York, Racists, Right-wing activists, Shysters, Trolls, Trumpism, United States politicians, Vatniks