US congressman Santos hit with more charges for inflating fundraising numbers

[October 11, 2023]  (Reuters) - U.S. congressman George Santos was hit with additional criminal charges on Tuesday for inflating his campaign's fundraising numbers in a bid to qualify for financial and logistical support from a Republican Party committee, prosecutors said.  

U.S. Representative George Santos (R-NY) walks to a House Republican Conference meeting as Republicans work towards electing a new Speaker of the House on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., October 9, 2023. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

A 23-count superseding indictment filed in federal court in Central Islip, New York charged the embattled congressman and his former treasurer, Nancy Marks, with falsely telling the Federal Election Commission that their family members had made significant financial contributions.

Marks pleaded guilty last week to a conspiracy charge.

Santos, 35, pleaded not guilty in May to a 13-count indictment charging him with defrauding prospective political supporters by laundering funds to pay for his personal expenses, and illegally receiving unemployment benefits while he was employed.

The 35-year-old political newcomer has pleaded not guilty and resisted calls to resign for lying about his resume. He is free on $500,000 bail.

(Reporting by Costas Pitas and Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Eric Beech and Noeleen Walder)

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