Santos has been charged on a 13-count indictment, including wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds, and making false statements to the House of Representatives.
Santos was taken into custody on Wednesday at a federal courthouse on Long Island and was expected to appear in court later in the day. Surprisingly, he claimed to be unaware of the charges when questioned by the Associated Press on Tuesday.
The indictment alleges that Santos deceived his supporters by soliciting donations for a company, falsely claiming that the funds would be used to support his campaign. However, instead of utilizing the money for its intended purpose, he allegedly spent it on personal expenses, including luxury designer clothes and paying off his credit cards.
Furthermore, Santos is accused of providing false financial information on congressional disclosure forms. Additionally, while he was employed as a regional director of an investment firm and running for Congress, he allegedly applied for and received unemployment benefits, further exacerbating the fraudulent activities.
US Attorney Breon Peace emphasized that the indictment aimed to hold Santos accountable for his alleged fraudulent schemes and deceitful actions.
Peace stated, “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.”
