Federal prosecutors have brought additional charges against Rep. George Santos of New York, including identity theft and the unauthorized use of a supporter’s credit card. The charges, detailed in a superseding indictment, also include conspiracy, wire fraud, making false statements to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), falsifying records, aggravated identity theft, and access device fraud. Prosecutors allege that Santos stole people’s identities, charged his own donors’ credit cards without their permission, and lied about his campaign’s financial status. The scheme involved falsely claiming donations from Santos’ relatives and campaign treasurer to boost the appearance of his fundraising efforts. Santos has not yet commented on the charges.
The indictment reveals a credit card scheme in which Santos’s campaign would repeatedly charge contributors’ credit cards above the FEC’s individual contribution limits. One contributor provided their billing information, only to have Santos use it to make numerous unauthorized contributions to his campaign and affiliated political committees. In one instance, he allegedly charged $12,000 to a contributor’s credit card and transferred most of the money into his personal bank account. Prosecutors also suggest that a $500,000 loan Santos claimed to have given to his campaign was fake, as records showed he had only a small amount in his personal and business bank accounts at the time. Santos’s former campaign treasurer, Nancy Marks, has already pleaded guilty to similar offenses.
This news adds to the scrutiny on Santos, who has faced previous charges including wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds, and making false statements to the House of Representatives. The congressman initially drew attention last year when an investigation revealed inconsistencies in his résumé, calling into question claims about his properties, employment history, and education. Santos has pleaded not guilty to the charges and has yet to publicly address the latest allegations.
