New York-based congressman, George Anthony Devolder Santos, known for his many impressive accomplishments and eccentricities, has been indicted with an additional ten charges in the Eastern District of New York, according to a superseding indictment.
Previously, Santos was accused of fraudulent activities, such as manipulating contributions towards a “501(c)(4)” private company, exploiting the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and providing misleading information on his House financial disclosures.
In past discussions, we noted the original indictment against Santos as being rather thin. However, last week, Nancy Marks, Santos’s campaign treasurer, pleaded guilty to felony charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States. This resulted in reports suggesting that Santos may face a barrage of charges.
The new allegations suggest Santos perpetrated a “Party Program Scheme” to deceptively increase campaign donations, enabling him to obtain fiscal and logistical aid from the National Republican Congressional Committee. It is alleged that Santos and Marks doctored their final campaign finance report to portray that ten members of his family fully used their donation contributions, rendering his quarterly receipts total to $251,549.68.
It seems like membership in the NRCC programme was beneficial to Santos, it not only rendered him the party seal of approval but also tangible benefits like the committee sponsoring half the cost for a poll conducted by his campaign in 2022. However, the programme’s obligations to support other candidates led to Santos involvement in the “Credit Card Fraud Scheme.”
According to the indictment, Santos systematically billed donors’ credit cards without authorization to fulfil his duties to other Republican candidates, boost his own reserves, and personally enrich himself. The updated indictment alleges that thousands of unauthorized transactions were made by Santos.
Despite these serious allegations, Santos insists on his innocence, assuring his colleagues and the public of his commitment to uphold due process and the Constitution. He condemned his fellow New York Republicans who seem in favour of his expulsion from the party.
In a statement Santos released on Twitter, he urged Americans to stay strong, assuring them that the process will unfold as it should. His case continues in the US district court before Judge Joanna Seybert.
Full details of the case can be read on the US v. Devolder Santos docket via CourtListener.