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Rep. George Santos surrendered to federal authorities in New York on Wednesday (May 10) as a 13-count indictment against him was unsealed.
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.
Prosecutors accused Santos of engaging in a "fraudulent political contribution solicitation scheme" and using the money he raised for personal expenses, including expensive designer clothes and paying off his credit card bill. The embattled New York congressman is also accused of fraudulently applying for unemployment benefits during the coronavirus pandemic.
The indictment alleges that Santos claimed he had been unemployed since March 2020, but he was actually working for an investment firm, earning $120,000 a year at the time.
"This indictment seeks to hold Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations," U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement. "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."
Santons pleaded not guilty to the charges.
After he left the courthouse, Santos spoke with reporters and said he does not plan to resign his seat or change his reelection plans.
"That's not up for me to know. Elections are very tricky. It's up to the people. I trust them to decide what's best," Santos said.