Rio de Janeiro Prosecutor’s Office to Reinstate Fraud Charges Against US Representative George Santos

Law enforcement officials in Brazil have announced that they will reinstate fraud charges against newly-elected US Representative George Santos, a Republican from New York. Santos is set to assume his role in the US House of Representatives on Tuesday, despite the cloud of suspicion surrounding his dubious resume.

Santos has made many claims that have been proven false or dubious, including that he was born, bred, and educated in New York, that he worked at major financial institutions such as Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, and JP Morgan, and that his family owned a multi-million dollar company.

Maristela Pereira, a spokeswoman for the Rio de Janeiro prosecutor’s office, told CNN that authorities have verified Santos’ location and will make a formal request to the US Justice Department to notify him of the charges. The charges stem from a stolen checkbook in 2008, after police suspended an investigation into him because they were unable to find him for nearly a decade.

The lies and inconsistencies in Santos’ resume were brought to light by an expose in the New York Times just weeks before the new Congress convened. After the article was published, Santos confessed to some “embellishments” while dodging questions about others.

The Rio de Janeiro prosecutor’s office has stated that they will seek a “formal response” from Santos related to the charges. It is unclear how the charges will affect Santos’ role in the US House of Representatives.