US Republican Congressman George Santos Arrested

US Representative George Santos, a Republican, was arrested on federal criminal charges in New York on Wednesday.

Santos has been under scrutiny after it was discovered that his biography and CV are riddled with contradictions, embellishments, and lies. 

Santos was charged on 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 materially false statements to the House of Representatives.”

Holding Santos Accountable

“This indictment seeks to hold Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations,” United States Attorney Breon Peace said 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.  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. My Office and our law enforcement partners will continue to aggressively root out corruption and self-dealing from our community’s public institutions and hold public officials accountable to the constituents who elected them,” said Peace.

“At the height of the pandemic in 2020, George Santos allegedly applied for and received unemployment benefits while he was employed and running for Congress,” saidDistrict Attorney Anne Donnelly. 

“As charged in the indictment, the defendant’s alleged behaviour continued during his second run for Congress when he pocketed campaign contributions and used that money to pay down personal debts and buy designer clothing. This indictment is the result of a lengthy collaboration between law enforcement agencies, and I thank our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for their dedication to rooting out public corruption.” 

When asked by CNN earlier if Santos should be removed from office, Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy said, “I’ll look at the charges.”

Santos has admitted to making up and embellishing his resume. He has, however, denied that he has done anything illegal. 

There are many gaps in his’ backstory including where he studied. Santos said he graduated from Baruch College, attended New York University, and worked for Citigroup and Goldman Sachs.

However, none of these places has a record of him either studying or working at these institutions.

Lived in Rio As a Drag Queen

NEW: I just spoke by phone with Eula Rochard, a Brazilian drag queen who was friends with George Santos when he lived near Rio. She said everyone knew him as Anthony (*never* George), or by his drag name, Kitara, and confirms this photo is from a 2008 drag show at Icaraí Beach. pic.twitter.com/1MeeDR1O2O

— . (@MarisaKabas) January 18, 2023

During his time in office, he has been accused of violating federal conflict of interest laws, breaking campaign finance laws, stealing cash meant for an Iraq War veteran’s dying dog. He also lied about being Jewish and that his grandparents escaped the Nazis

In January, photos from 2008 emerged, apparently depicting Santos living in Rio as a drag queen, named Kitara Ravache.

The photo allegedly shows Santos in drag, wearing a strapless red dress and a long brown wig.