CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) — U.S. Rep.
George Santos, infamous for
fabricating his life story, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges he duped donors, stole from his campaign and lied to Congress about being a millionaire, all while cheating to collect unemployment benefits he didn’t deserve.
Afterward, he said he wouldn’t drop his reelection bid and defied calls to resign.
Santos’ 13-count federal indictment was a reckoning for a web of fraud and deceit that prosecutors say overlapped with the New York Republican’s fantastical public image as a wealthy businessman — a fictional biography that began to unravel after he won election last fall.
Santos, 34, was released on $500,000 bond following his arraignment, about five hours after turning himself in to face charges of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements to Congress. He surrendered his passport and could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
“This is the beginning of the ability for me to address and defend myself,” a cheerfully combative Santos told reporters swarming him outside a Long Island federal courthouse. He said he’s been cooperating with the investigation and vowed to fight the prosecution, which he labeled a “witch hunt.”
His lawyer, Joseph Murray, was more circumspect, saying: “Any time the federal government comes after you it’s a serious case. We have to take this serious.”
Santos said he planned to return to Washington, where the indictment is amplifying doubts about the freshman’s ability to serve. House Republican leaders are taking a wait-and-see approach, saying Santos is innocent until proven guilty. Others are reiterating previous calls for Santos to step aside.
“I think we’re seeing that the wheels of justice grind slow, but they grind fine,” said Sen. Mitt Romney, a Utah Republican who confronted Santos on the House floor at President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address in February.
Asked about Santos on Wednesday, Biden said, “I’m not commenting,” adding that anything he said would be construed by some interfering in the investigation. Asked if Congress should expel Santos, Biden said, “That’s for Congress to decide.”
Among the allegations, prosecutors say Santos created a company and then induced supporters to donate to it under the false pretense that the money would be used to support his campaign. Instead, they say, he used the money for personal expenses, including designer clothes and credit card and car payments.
Santos also is accused of lying about his finances on congressional disclosure forms and obtaining unemployment benefits while he was making $120,000 as regional director of an investment firm that the government shut down in 2021 over allegations that it was a Ponzi scheme.
apnews.com
