Money laundering, lies and Covid fraud: Republican’s George Santos indicted | World News

On Wednesday, Republican politician George Santos was arrested. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York announced an indictment against him on 13 counts.

The full list of charges includes seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds and two counts of making material false statements to the House of Representatives.

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The following is an overview of the charges against Santos in the 20-page indictment.

– Allegations of fraudulently applying for Covid-related unemployment benefits

Santos has been charged with fraud for allegedly receiving unemployment benefits during the pandemic, even though he had a job. Ironically, during his campaign for Congress, he spoke out against pandemic-related unemployment benefits. In a viral social media video in 2021, Santos criticized President Joe Biden for extending unemployment benefits. In the video, Santos says: “We need you to be president, Joe. Get to work now. Honor us. Be president. Protect us. This is a load of crap. For an entire hour, you get asked great questions. You almost All laughing at the restaurateur who can’t get people to work for him. Apparently because you’ve been extending the damn unemployment benefits. Yes, someone needs it. Create a system that verifies them so they can keep it. Don’t do it again Such a pointless giveaway.”

– Allegations of money laundering and misuse of campaign funds for personal expenses

During his political campaign, Santos laundered donations into his own personal bank account, according to prosecutors. He allegedly spent thousands of dollars on personal expenses ranging from lavish clothing to credit card payments. He was charged with three counts of money laundering related to the donor solicitation scheme.

– Allegation of wire fraud

Santos was charged with five counts of wire fraud when the candidate and an unnamed political adviser he directed lied to potential donors in emails and text messages that their donations would be used exclusively to support Republican campaigns. But instead, Santos used the donation for personal purposes. Santos is alleged to have committed two other counts of wire fraud while applying for and receiving Covid-related unemployment benefits, despite being employed by an investment firm in Florida.

– Allegation of making a false statement

Prosecutors charged Santos with two counts of making false statements to the House of Representatives regarding personal financial disclosure reports. In May 2020, he allegedly exaggerated one of his sources of income. And in September 2022, he provided false information on a financial disclosure form.