Can D.C get any more comical? Congressman George Santos was hit with a 23-count superseding indictment unsealed on Tuesday that included allegations that he stole donor’s identities and used their credit cards to make unauthorized purchases.
The new charges include one count of conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States, two counts of wire fraud, two counts of making materially false statements to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), two counts of falsifying records submitted to obstruct the FEC, two counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of access device fraud. They come just months after Santos was indicted on a 13-count indictment that accused him of campaign finance fraud, money laundering, and other crimes.
The new charges come after Nancy Marks, the former campaign treasurer for Santos, pled guilty last week to multiple federal charges connected to her role in falsely reporting that Santos made a $500,000 loan to his campaign to make it appear as though he had more support than he really had. Santos has less than $8,000 in his bank account.
Marks pled guilty to committing wire fraud, making materially false statements, obstructing the administration of the Federal Election Commission, and committing aggravated identity theft, federal prosecutors said in a statement.
“Santos and Marks conspired with one another to devise and execute a fraudulent scheme to obtain money for the campaign by submitting materially false reports to the FEC on behalf of the campaign, in which they inflated the campaign’s fundraising numbers for the purpose of misleading the FEC, a national party committee, and the public,” the Department of Justice said in a statement.
Santos has denied all of the charges against him. He has called the investigation a “witch hunt” and has accused prosecutors of being politically motivated.
The purpose of the scheme was to deceive the Republican National Committee (RNC) into believing that Santos had more support than he really did for the sake of achieving financial backing from the party.
BREAKING: George Santos has been charged with conspiracy in a SUPERSEDING INDICTMENT. He now faces 23 felony counts. pic.twitter.com/uw1WJVFD42
— Mueller, She Wrote
(@MuellerSheWrote) October 10, 2023
