George Santos

In Brazil, Santos is accused of using two stolen cheques belonging to an 82-year-old man to buy clothing and shoes under a false name. The case, previously suspended because he could not be located, is reopened after his election to Congress.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Veteran Richard Osthoff claims that approximately $3,000 raised by Santos for surgery on his dog Sapphire was never used for treatment and that Santos subsequently cut off contact. GoFundMe confirms that it received a complaint, that the organiser failed to provide requested documentation and that the associated email address was banned.

Attribution

Directly implicated

Santos works as a regional director at Harbor City Capital, a company the SEC accuses in April 2021 of running an approximately $17 million Ponzi scheme. His association with the business becomes a campaign and disclosure issue after his election.

State of the evidence

Documented

Role of the person profiled

Protagonist not prosecuted

In 2021, Santos writes that 9/11 'claimed my mother's life', although his mother died in 2016. His campaign website subsequently claims that she was in the South Tower on the day of the attacks. Immigration records indicate that she reported not having been in the United States since 1999.

State of the evidence

Allegations

Legal status — source text

Not applicable

Attribution

Personally implicated

Two Brazilian acquaintances tell Reuters that Santos participated in drag competitions in the 2000s. He initially describes the report as 'categorically false', before acknowledging a few days later that he wore women's clothing at a festival while denying that he was a drag queen.

Legal status — source text

Not applicable

Attribution

Directly implicated

The House Ethics Committee publishes a report finding substantial evidence that Santos knowingly caused false FEC filings, used campaign funds for personal purposes, deceived donors and supplied false financial disclosures. The report details, among other things, spending on luxury goods and personal care.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

The House votes 311 to 114 to expel Santos following the ethics report. He becomes only the sixth representative in US history to be expelled and the first in decades who had not yet been criminally convicted at the time of the vote.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Following his election, investigations show that Santos did not obtain the university qualifications he claimed and did not work directly for Goldman Sachs or Citigroup as his campaign material suggested. He acknowledges having 'embellished' his CV.

Legal status — source text

Not applicable

Attribution

Personally implicated

Santos repeatedly claims Jewish ancestry and grandparents who fled Nazi persecution. Genealogical research traces his maternal grandparents to Brazil and does not substantiate the story. Amid the controversy, he says he never claimed to be Jewish but rather 'Jew-ish'.

State of the evidence

Allegations

Legal status — source text

Not applicable

Attribution

Personally implicated

Santos claims that a company he worked for had 'lost four employees' in the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando. Fact-checks find no link between the 49 victims and companies named in his employment history. He subsequently reframes the claim, saying four victims were about to be hired.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

Not applicable

Attribution

Personally implicated