GOP Rep. George Santos surrendered at the courthouse in Central Islip, New York on Wednesday.
The federal grand jury returned a 13-count indictment.
Santos is facing up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
“He is charged with 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.” WABC reported.
Earlier this year House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told reporters that George Santos will be removed from Congress if it is determined the freshman Rep. broke the law.
George Santos flipped New York’s 3rd Congressional district red in November when he defeated Robert Zimmerman.
In December Santos admitted he lied about his education, employment history and Jewish background in an interview with the New York Post.
Federal prosecutors were investigating George Santos’ ‘sudden wealth’ after he admitted to embellishing his resume.
The indictment was handed down on Tuesday by a federal grand jury.
According to the charging documents, Santos engaged in a fraudulent political contribution solicitation scheme in which he is accused of defrauding political supporters.
The indictment says Santos applied for unemployment in June 2020 when he was gainfully employed with a $120,000 salary.
Santos also allegedly made false statements to the House of Representatives about his finances. He allegedly overstated his income while lying about an investment.
“This indictment seeks to hold Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations,” stated United States Attorney Breon Peace. “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.”
WABC reported:
In an indictment unsealed Wednesday, Rep. George Santos is accused of embezzling contributions from supporters, fraudulently obtaining unemployment benefits and lying in disclosures to Congress.
He is charged by a federal grand jury with 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.
Santos, 34, is expected to plead not guilty to the 13 criminal charges against him, sources tell ABC News.
The indictment was returned Tuesday under seal by a federal grand jury sitting in Central Islip, New York. Santos was arrested Wednesday morning.