Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) Indicted on 13 Federal Charges, Pleads Not Guilty in Court

Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) was indicted Wednesday on 13 federal charges, including wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements to the House of Representatives. Santos, 34, surrendered into custody Wednesday morning and pleaded not guilty at a Long Island courthouse.

The Justice Department unsealed the indictment, which includes 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. Santos was released on $500,000 bond and must submit to pretrial services, have random monitoring at his home and surrender his passport. Any travel outside New York state and Washington, D.C., must be approved by the court.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) commented on the news Tuesday night, saying “I think in America, you’re innocent ’til proven guilty.” Santos had already stepped down earlier this year from two committees he was assigned to after questions were raised about his background and campaign finances.

The Justice Department is continuing to investigate the case and no further information has been released. It is unclear what the outcome of the case will be, but the charges against Santos are serious and could lead to significant consequences. The public will have to wait and see how the case unfolds.