Embattled Republican Rep. George Santos is set to appear in federal court in Central Islip, Long Island, on Friday, where he will be arraigned on 23 charges including identity theft, credit card fraud and conspiracy.
The charges are contained in a superseding indictment prosecutors filed on Oct. 10 and come on top of 13 counts Santos pleaded not guilty to in May, including charges of money laundering, wire fraud, theft of public funds, and making false statements to Congress.
Prosecutors allege that Santos, whose congressional district includes eastern Queens and parts of Nassau County, engaged in multiple schemes to defraud donors through his campaign and secure support from the party organization by making it appear as though his fundraising was more successful than it actually was.
Among the examples, prosecutors cite a $500,000 loan Santos reported giving to his campaign on Federal Election Commission filings. At the time, he was trying to hit a benchmark set by the national party organization, which would in turn provide his campaign with additional financial and logistical support, according to court records. But Santos never gave the fictitious loan, prosecutors say, because he only had $8,000 in his bank account.
Prosecutors also allege Santos and Nancy Marks, his former campaign treasurer, reported to the FEC that at least 10 of their family members donated to the campaign, in an effort to show that it had raised sufficient funds to meet the party program’s threshold. Prosecutors claim that those individuals had not donated, but the Santos campaign received additional funding based on the filings.
On Oct. 5, Marks pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge in federal court, in connection with the fundraising schemes.
Early Thursday, Santos posted a cryptic message on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, reading: “Everything has an end in life.”
He did not immediately respond to Gothamist’s request for comment.
Santos is also accused of…
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