The Republican congressman, whose Third District represents parts of Nassau County and Queens, is expected to appear in federal court in Brooklyn on Wednesday, May 10, the outlet said, citing three sources familiar with the matter. Subpoena for one or more sealed charges.
It is unclear what crimes Santos, 34, is charged with, but the federal investigation is believed to be focused on campaign finance violations.
In January 2023, the nonprofit Campaign Legal Center filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) accusing Santos of illegally using campaign funds for personal expenses, cbs news report.
The complaint also accuses Santos of concealing the source of his campaign contributions, questioning how he was able to provide $705,000 in loans to his campaign despite financial disclosure reports showing he only made $55,000 in 2020.
“The hidden true source behind the $705,000 donation to the Santos campaign could have been a corporation or a foreign national — both of which are expressly prohibited from donating to federal candidates,” CBS News said, citing the complaint.
The complaint also highlights several $199.99 charges listed in Santos’ campaign finance reports, the outlet said. That amount was significantly lower than the $200 threshold that requires campaigns to provide receipts and details to the FEC.
“These sub-$200 disbursements were unbelievably large in number, and some of the payments seemed impossible given the nature of the items or services covered,” the outlet cited the complaint as saying.
Tuesday’s announcement comes after months of seemingly endless controversy over Santos, who first made national headlines after admitting he lied about much of his background ahead of the 2022 election, including where he worked and went to school .
He is facing multiple investigations into his personal and campaign finances, including from the House Ethics Committee, the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
In March 2023, Santos formally pleaded guilty to defrauding a Brazilian clerk of $1,300 in clothing and shoes.
The admission was said to be part of a deal Santos’ lawyers demanded in January 2022 and accepted by Brazilian prosecutors to ensure he would not be prosecuted for a crime. CNN.
Santos has defended other claims that have since come under fire from fact-checkers, including that his mother was in Southtown at the World Trade Center during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, despite a New York Times report that she was not even in the country. .
He also insisted that he “lost four employees” in the June 2016 mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub, even though none of the 49 victims had worked for the companies mentioned in Santos’ biography.
In April 2023, Santos announced that he was “proudly” running for re-election.
This is a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.
Click here to read CNN’s full report.
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