Republican Congressman George Santos (N.Y.) pleaded not guilty to 13 criminal charges on Wednesday, hours after federal prosecutors formally indicted him.
The indictment accuses Santos of engaging in schemes that misrepresented his finances to the public — including donors — and government agencies. (RELATED:
George Santos In Custody After Being Indicted By Federal Authorities)
The charges comprise 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.
Read the official indictment here:
Santos entered his not guilty plea at the federal courthouse in Central Islip, New York, and was released on a $500,000 bond. His next court appearance is on June 30 before Clinton nominee, U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert.
According to the indictment, Santos transferred approximately $74,000 of contributions to his personal bank accounts, which went toward personal expenses.
Santos is also accused of fraudulently receiving more than $24,000 in unemployment benefits, and of making false statements to the House of Representatives in financial disclosure reports in May 2020 and September 2022 during his congressional campaigns.
The top charge of wire fraud carries a maximum jail time of 20 years.
The indictment does not bar Santos from serving in Congress however numerous lawmakers have called for the freshman lawmaker to step down. Santos has also already filed to run for re-election in 2024. (RELATED: George Santos Files To Run For 2024 Re-election Despite Scandalous History)
The New York Republican has been the subject of intense scrutiny since before he was sworn in amid questions about his resume and biography. Various institutions, including the House Ethics Committee, have launched investigations into the Congressman.
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Santos should have run as a Democrat (since he really is, anyway). He wouldn’t be indicted and charged with anything had he done that.
Well, it is a good thing the DOJ went after Santos instead of the Biden crime family, now the democrat party’s propaganda news media can ignore the Bidens, such luck huh?