US congressman George Santos has surrendered himself to authorities and has been arrested on federal criminal charges.
News of the arrest comes after Santos was elected to Congress for New York’s third district last autumn following a campaign that was later revealed to have been packed with lies.
Santos told people he was a wealthy Wall Street dealmaker, that he had a substantial real estate portfolio and that he'd been a star volleyball player in college, among other things.
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In reality, he hadn't worked at the big firms he'd claimed to, and he didn't go to college.
According to lawyer Breon Peace, the indictment 'seeks to hold Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations'
“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,” Mr Peace said.
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The indictment, which was unsealed on Wednesday, states that Santos has been 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.
Federal prosecutors have accused Santos of lying on financial disclosure forms filed when he became a candidate, and fraudulently using donations given to his political campaign for his own benefit.
He's been accused of using 'thousands of dollars of the solicited funds on personal expenses, including luxury designer clothing and credit card payments'.
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Other members of the Republican party in New York called on Santos to resign from his role of congressman after the truth about his past came to light, with some sharing renewed criticism in the wake of the case against him.
Marc Molinaro, a Republican representing parts of upstate New York, said: “Listen, George Santos should have resigned in December. George Santos should have resigned in January. George Santos should have resigned yesterday. And perhaps he’ll resign today. But sooner or later, whether he chooses to or not, both the truth and justice will be delivered to him."
However, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy argued: “I think in America, you’re innocent till proven guilty.”
Santos surrendered himself to authorities at a federal court on Long Island this morning (10 May), ahead of a planned initial court appearance.
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The congressman, who is 34 years old, has previously apologised for what he described as 'résumé embellishment', but has refused to resign.
Topics: US News
Emily Brown