Representative George Santos (R-NY) is reportedly facing criminal charges following an FBI and Department of Justice investigation.
The charges were filed under seal, and Santos is expected to appear in federal court in New York's eastern District on Wednesday. The charges have not yet been made public, according to CNN.
Santos, who is gay and flipped the Long Island House seat that Democrats held for a decade, has been accused of breaking campaign finance laws, lying about where he went to school, violating federal conflict of interest laws, credit card fraud, and stealing cash meant for an Iraq War veteran's dying dog.
The Campaign Legal Center complained to the FEC in January that Santos should be investigated due to the "mountain of lies" that Santos made during the campaign. The lies about his life story and qualifications, they say, should prompt the commission to "thoroughly investigate what appear to be equally brazen lies about how his campaign raised and spent money."
Santos' lies surfaced in January, and New York GOP leaders called for his resignation. "His lies were not mere fibs. He disgraced the House of Representatives," said Joseph Cairo Jr., chair of the Nassau County Republican Committee, at a news conference. "He's not welcome here at Republican headquarters."
Santos has since publicly apologized and recused himself from sitting on congressional committees. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told CNN he would "look at the charges" before filing impeachment papers for the freshman legislator.
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