Embattled Rep. George Santos arrested on charges including fraud, lying to Congress

Republican lawmaker Rep. George Santos was arrested Wednesday morning and will be arraigned in the afternoon on federal charges including fraud and lying to Congress, the Department of Justice said, marking a significant escalation in the many legal and ethical probes Santos has faced since taking office.

The Department of Justice said in a statement that the 13-count indictment was unsealed today, including "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."

“Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself," Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in the DOJ statement. "He used political contributions to line his pockets, unlawfully applied for unemployment benefits that should have gone to New Yorkers who had lost their jobs due to the pandemic, and lied to the House of Representatives."

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