George Santos charged with fraud, money laundering and more crimes in New York court
CBSN
Washington — Federal prosecutors have charged Republican Rep. George Santos of New York with fraud, money laundering and other crimes, according to an indictment unsealed Wednesday, a stunning development following months of scrutiny of the freshman congressman that began after lies he told about his background began to unravel.
Santos, 34, was arrested Wednesday morning and is in custody, the Justice Department said. He is expected to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Arlene Lindsay at the federal courthouse in Central Islip, New York, on Wednesday afternoon.
The 13-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury Tuesday includes seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives. If convicted, Santos faces up to 20 years in prison for the most serious charges.
