'He broke the law by lying': Santos hit with FEC complaint over mysterious $705K campaign loan
1 year, 11 months ago

'He broke the law by lying': Santos hit with FEC complaint over mysterious $705K campaign loan

Raw Story  

Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., is facing a Federal Election Commission complaint less than a week after being sworn into Congress. The Campaign Legal Center, a nonprofit watchdog group, accused Santos of lying about the source of his campaign donations and paying for personal expenses with campaign funds in a 50-page complaint filed Monday. Saurav Ghosh, CLC's director of campaign finance reform — and a former FEC enforcement attorney — blasted Santos Monday in a tweet. "George Santos has lied about virtually every aspect of his life, and it appears he broke the law by lying about where he got $705,000 for his campaign," Ghosh wrote. Accordingly, there is reason to believe Santos's campaign deliberately falsified its disbursement reporting, among numerous other reporting violations," the CLC said in its Monday complaint.

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History of this topic

George Santos Just Had to Admit How Much Money He Owes People. Oh Boy.
8 months ago

George Santos Just Had to Admit How Much Money He Owes People. Oh Boy.

Slate  

The George Santos–expelled–from–Congress narrative arc went from “This is kind of entertaining” to “Oh, wow, he’s really on Cameo” to “Please, no more” in record time. On the other hand, the 2022 Santos campaign’s reported debts and obligations have grown larger since he won his race, a decidedly less normal situation. It can’t be reassuring for Boles that, on top …

Busted: Trump campaign gets yet another warning for accepting illegal donations
10 months, 1 week ago

Busted: Trump campaign gets yet another warning for accepting illegal donations

Raw Story  

Former President Donald Trump's 2024 campaign has been flagged yet again by the Federal Election Commission for accepting donations with illegal amounts, according to a new letter to the campaign treasurer exclusively obtained by Raw Story. The letter, which detailed over two hundred pages of "apparent excessive, prohibited, and impermissible contributions," warned that the campaign could face an "audit or …

Burger chain manager fined for using ‘straw donors’ to back ex-Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s 2018 campaign
11 months, 2 weeks ago

Burger chain manager fined for using ‘straw donors’ to back ex-Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s 2018 campaign

LA Times  

Prosecutors announced in 2022 that they would not file criminal charges against the owner of the Tam’s Burger restaurant chain, though a state campaign finance watchdog has now fined a restaurant manager. A burger chain manager accused of using “straw donors” to repeatedly contribute to former Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s 2018 bid for office has agreed to pay …

George Santos Spent Campaign Cash On Botox, And Other Wild Allegations In His Ethics Report
1 year, 1 month ago

George Santos Spent Campaign Cash On Botox, And Other Wild Allegations In His Ethics Report

Huff Post  

Rep. George Santos, seen here in designer Ray-Ban glasses, allegedly spent campaign funds on himself. via Associated Press Embattled Rep. George Santos allegedly spent campaign funds on a host of products and services to maintain his appearance, according to a House ethics committee report released Thursday. “He blatantly stole from his campaign,” the report says, alleging that Santos inappropriately spent …

Ethics report finds Santos used campaign funds to pay for OnlyFans, Botox, Sephora
1 year, 1 month ago

Ethics report finds Santos used campaign funds to pay for OnlyFans, Botox, Sephora

NPR  

Ethics report finds Santos used campaign funds to pay for OnlyFans, Botox, Sephora Enlarge this image toggle caption Stefan Jeremiah/AP Stefan Jeremiah/AP New York Republican Rep. George Santos, who represents parts of Long Island and Queens, announced today he's dropping his bid for a second term after a House ethics report blasted him for criminal activity and lying to voters. …

Ex-fundraiser for George Santos pleads guilty to posing as congressional aide to raise campaign cash
1 year, 1 month ago

Ex-fundraiser for George Santos pleads guilty to posing as congressional aide to raise campaign cash

Associated Press  

A former fundraiser for U.S. Rep. George Santos pleaded guilty Tuesday to a federal wire fraud charge, admitting he impersonated a high-ranking congressional aide while raising campaign cash for the embattled New York Republican. He also acknowledged he committed access device fraud by charging credit cards without authorization to send money to the campaigns of Santos and other political candidates, …

GOP's George Santos hit with a 23-count superseding indictment
1 year, 2 months ago

GOP's George Santos hit with a 23-count superseding indictment

Raw Story  

Rep. George Santos was charged by the Department of Justice on Tuesday in a sprawling 23-count superseding indictment. According to the court filing, prosecutors say Santos led “a fraudulent scheme to steal the personal identity and financial information of contributors to his campaign." U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said, "Santos is charged with stealing people’s identities and making charges on his …

New George Santos Charges Claim He Stole Donor IDs, Charged Their Credit Cards
1 year, 2 months ago

New George Santos Charges Claim He Stole Donor IDs, Charged Their Credit Cards

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING NEW YORK — A new indictment filed Tuesday charged U.S. Rep. George Santos with stealing the identities of donors to his campaign and then using their credit cards to ring up tens of thousands of dollars in unauthorized charges. The 23-count indictment replaces one filed earlier against the New York Republican charging him with embezzling money from …

Rep. Santos faces new charges he stole donor IDs, made unauthorized charges to their credit cards
1 year, 2 months ago

Rep. Santos faces new charges he stole donor IDs, made unauthorized charges to their credit cards

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — U.S. Rep. George Santos stole the identities of donors to his campaign and then used their credit cards to ring up tens of thousands of dollars in unauthorized charges, according to a new indictment. “As alleged, Santos is charged with stealing people’s identities and making charges on his own donors’ credit cards without their authorization, lying to …

Ex-treasurer for Rep. George Santos pleads guilty to conspiracy, tells of bogus loan and fake donors
1 year, 2 months ago

Ex-treasurer for Rep. George Santos pleads guilty to conspiracy, tells of bogus loan and fake donors

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — The ex-treasurer for U.S. Rep. George Santos pleaded guilty Thursday to a fraud conspiracy charge and implicated the indicted New York Republican in a scheme to embellish his campaign finance reports with a fake loan and fake donors. Prosecutors didn’t charge Santos in the criminal complaint against Marks, but they described him as a “co-conspirator.” Marks resigned …

A former fundraiser for Rep. George Santos has been charged with wire fraud and identity theft
1 year, 4 months ago

A former fundraiser for Rep. George Santos has been charged with wire fraud and identity theft

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — A former fundraiser for U.S. Rep. George Santos was indicted Wednesday on federal charges that he impersonated a high-ranking congressional aide while soliciting contributions for the New York Republican’s campaign. Sam Miele, 27, was charged with four counts of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in an alleged scheme to defraud donors and obtain money for Santos …

FEC asked to investigate flower shop’s $500,000 contribution to super PAC backing Suarez’s 2024 bid
1 year, 4 months ago

FEC asked to investigate flower shop’s $500,000 contribution to super PAC backing Suarez’s 2024 bid

Associated Press  

MIAMI — A government watchdog group is asking federal regulators to investigate a $500,000 contribution to a super PAC backing Miami Mayor Francis Suarez’s presidential bid, citing possible campaign finance laws violations. Campaign Legal Center also says the artificial flower shop accused in the scheme filed a trademark application listing a Chinese address and the seller information listed by Amazon.com …

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign taken for a ride by Lyft-hailing fraudster: documents
1 year, 5 months ago

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign taken for a ride by Lyft-hailing fraudster: documents

Raw Story  

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign committee fell victim to fraud by someone who rang up $873.17 worth of bogus charges with ride-sharing company Lyft, according to federal records reviewed by Raw Story. Lyft on May 25 reimbursed Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign, which in a filing with the Federal Election Commission described the matter as a “refund of fraudulent charges.” The campaign committee of …

US Rep. George Santos repays himself $85K raised from lackluster reelection fundraising
1 year, 5 months ago

US Rep. George Santos repays himself $85K raised from lackluster reelection fundraising

Associated Press  

Follow live: Updates from AP’s coverage of the presidential election. NEW YORK — Embattled freshman U.S. Rep. George Santos, a Republican from New York charged with a host of financial crimes, including embezzling money from his campaign, withdrew $85,000 from his campaign to help repay hundreds of thousands of dollars he loaned himself to get elected in 2022. Congressional campaign …

Rep. George Santos faces federal criminal charges, AP sources say
1 year, 7 months ago

Rep. George Santos faces federal criminal charges, AP sources say

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — U.S. Rep. George Santos, who faced outrage and mockery over a litany of fabrications about his heritage, education and professional pedigree, has been charged with federal criminal offenses, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. The “mountain of lies” Santos propagated during the campaign about his life story and qualifications, the center said, should …

The Wild Backstory to George Santos’ Arrest
1 year, 7 months ago

The Wild Backstory to George Santos’ Arrest

Slate  

Update, May 10, 2023, at 10:44 a.m.: This story has been updated to reflect the charges prosecutors announced against Santos on Wednesday. Its tag line: “A Safe Harbor To Grow Your Wealth!” In an interview on a website called Superbcrew.com, the founder and CEO of Harbor City, a self-styled entrepreneurship guru named J.P. Maroney, said he could guarantee results for …

US legislator George Santos charged with fraud, money laundering
1 year, 7 months ago

US legislator George Santos charged with fraud, money laundering

Al Jazeera  

United States Representative George Santos has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of fraud, money laundering and theft of public funds in the latest hit to the newly elected Republican, who has resisted calls to resign for lying about his resume. A 13-count indictment, unsealed on Wednesday, charged Santos, 34, with defrauding prospective political supporters by laundering funds to pay …

George Santos faces uphill fundraising battle during 2024 reelection bid
1 year, 8 months ago

George Santos faces uphill fundraising battle during 2024 reelection bid

Raw Story  

This article originally appeared in OpenSecrets. But Santos faces an uphill fundraising battle, as his congressional campaign reported losing money during the first three months of 2023. The Santos campaign spent $3,000 on legal services two days after the New York Times story broke, OpenSecrets previously reported. His campaign’s year-end report painted a more detailed picture of Santos’ campaign spending …

US Rep. Santos files paperwork for possible reelection bid
1 year, 9 months ago

US Rep. Santos files paperwork for possible reelection bid

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — U.S. Rep. George Santos filed paperwork Tuesday indicating his intent to run for reelection, even as he faces calls to resign amid ongoing criminal and ethics investigations into lies he told while running for office. The filing with the Federal Election Commission does not necessarily mean that Santos will run for a second term, but it allows …

Rep. George Santos under investigation by House Ethics panel
1 year, 9 months ago

Rep. George Santos under investigation by House Ethics panel

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The House Ethics Committee announced Thursday it is launching an investigation into embattled Republican Rep. George Santos, the New York congressman whose lies and embellishments about his resume and personal life have drawn deep scrutiny. It seeks to determine whether Santos “may have engaged in unlawful activity with respect to his 2022 congressional campaign” among other actions, the …

George Santos busted for accepting apparently illegal campaign contribution
1 year, 9 months ago

George Santos busted for accepting apparently illegal campaign contribution

Raw Story  

The Federal Election Commission has sent a letter to scandal-plagued Rep. George Santos informing him that his campaign has accepted an apparently illegal campaign contribution. Specifically, the letter flags "one or more contributions" in the Santos campaign's financial report that "appear to exceed the limits" set by campaign finance laws. Santos' campaign has until April 5th to deliver a response …

Watchdog fears George Santos could end up 'laundering money' thanks to Ted Cruz court case
1 year, 10 months ago

Watchdog fears George Santos could end up 'laundering money' thanks to Ted Cruz court case

Raw Story  

Questions raised about the campaign finances of Rep. George Santos are a "prime example" of the threat to democracy posed by a Supreme Court ruling in favor of Sen. Ted Cruz, according to a non-partisan watchdog. “The ruling was egregiously bad as far as ‘the appearance of corruption,’ at a minimum,” said Saurav Ghosh, director of federal reform for the …

Santos campaign spent $365,000 'with no record of where it went': NYT
1 year, 10 months ago

Santos campaign spent $365,000 'with no record of where it went': NYT

Raw Story  

The campaign of Rep. George Santos spent $365,000 on expenses that don't disclose a recipient or purpose – and nobody can figure out what they were for, reportedThe New York Times. "Several donors said in interviews that the Santos campaign or associated groups misrepresented how much they gave. Campaign finance documents show discrepancies between what the Santos campaign reported having …

Shady accounting shines spotlight on former George Santos treasurer's other clients
1 year, 10 months ago

Shady accounting shines spotlight on former George Santos treasurer's other clients

Raw Story  

Shady accounting tactics used by the former campaign treasurer for scandal-plagued Rep. George Santos are now raising questions about work she did for other clients, such as former New York gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin. A new report from CNN highlights that both Zeldin and Santos shared a striking set of unusual expenses in their campaign finance reports: 21 payments on …

'I would expect federal indictments': George Santos' top donors don't appear to actually exist
1 year, 10 months ago

'I would expect federal indictments': George Santos' top donors don't appear to actually exist

Raw Story  

More than a dozen donors who contributed significant amounts of money to George Santos' 2020 congressional campaign do not appear to exist, an investigation by Mother Jones found. He was listed as a retiree living on Brandt Road in Brawley, California, but a spokesperson for William Brandt told Mother Jones that Brandt has lived at that address for at least …

Questions persist on source of George Santos campaign funds
1 year, 10 months ago

Questions persist on source of George Santos campaign funds

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — Of all the questions swirling around U.S. Rep. George Santos, one of the most serious has been how he amassed the personal fortune he claimed to have used to finance his campaign. Santos’ campaign provided the Federal Election Commission amended versions Tuesday of reports covering the last two years, including forms that gave contradictory accounts of whether …

'Bizarre' George Santos finally crossed the line — and 'the clock is ticking': Alyssa Farah Griffin
1 year, 10 months ago

'Bizarre' George Santos finally crossed the line — and 'the clock is ticking': Alyssa Farah Griffin

Raw Story  

Rep. George Santos has dominated weeks of news coverage as almost his entire campaign autobiography was revealed as an outright lie, including his education and work credentials, his purported Jewish heritage, and even his mother supposedly being in the Twin Towers on 9/11 — on top of allegedly scamming a homeless veteran trying to raise money for his dying service …

George Santos campaign insider predicts he'll be 'perp walked' out of Congress: report
1 year, 11 months ago

George Santos campaign insider predicts he'll be 'perp walked' out of Congress: report

Raw Story  

A Republican operative who briefly worked with Rep. George Santos' campaign tells Talking Points Memo reporters Hunter Walker and Josh Kovensky that he doesn't believe the scandal-plagued congressman will be able to escape the long arm of the law. The operative, who wished to remain anonymous so they could speak freely, claimed that they quit working with the Santos campaign …

Revealed: George Santos got shady campaign cash from Italian busted for smuggling undocumented migrants
1 year, 11 months ago

Revealed: George Santos got shady campaign cash from Italian busted for smuggling undocumented migrants

Raw Story  

Rep. George Santos could face new legal peril over donations from a confessed immigrant smuggler from Italy who has close ties to his campaign. The New York Republican accepted campaign contributions from Rocco Oppedisano, who was expelled from the U.S. in January 2019 and then arrested for piloting a yacht loaded with undocumented migrants and $200,000 in cash toward Florida, …

George Santos Now Accused Of Extensive Lies About Campaign Finances
1 year, 11 months ago

George Santos Now Accused Of Extensive Lies About Campaign Finances

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING GOP Rep. George Santos, the newly elected House member from New York who has admitted to fabricating his work and education history, is now being accused of extensive campaign finance violations. Santos, the new complaint claims, has been “knowingly and willfully concealing the true sources of his campaign’s funding, misrepresenting how his campaign spent its money, and …

FEC flags George Santos' political committee for suspicious contributions
1 year, 11 months ago

FEC flags George Santos' political committee for suspicious contributions

Raw Story  

Reports on Congressman-elect George Santos from the Federal Election Commission contain a number of oddities related to his campaign's spending, including exorbitant expenses on air travel and hotels, CNN has reported. “The only time during which money was being unwisely spent by the campaign was by a firm that was fired approximately one year before Election Day and a new …

Democrats say Trump is violating campaign finance law by not announcing 2024 bid
2 years, 9 months ago

Democrats say Trump is violating campaign finance law by not announcing 2024 bid

Salon  

A Democratic super PAC on Monday filed a complaint to the Federal Election Commission accusing former President Donald Trump of violating campaign finance laws by spending donor funds without officially filing his candidacy. "I know what I'm going to do, but we're not supposed to be talking about it yet from the standpoint of campaign finance laws," Trump said during …

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