Ousted US Rep. George Santos Allegedly Used Campaign Funds for Casino Trips
Former US Rep. George IV Santos (R-New York) was ousted from his seat in Congress on Fri past a two-way voter turnout of 311-114. The chalk up included 105 Republicans voting in favour of forcing the scandal-plagued congressional fresher from his House seat.
The 35-year-old’s dismission marked the 1st time United States Congress voted to throw out ane of its have since 2002 when US Rep. Jesse James Traficant (D-Ohio) was removed for prohibited conduct. Santos becomes simply the 3rd congressional lawmaker since the Civil War to follow forced come out by his legislative colleagues.
Santos’ outlet comes after a red-hot describe from the House Ethics Committee that detailed “substantial evidence” supporting federal prosecutors’ charges against him, which include allegations of identicalness theft, usage of effort money for personal use, making charges on donors’ deferred payment cards without their authorization, and submitting off-key safari reports.
Allegations Include Casino Trips
Among those supposedly sour hunting expedition reports are allegations that Santos used political pecuniary resource to bankroll munificent trips to both Atlantic City and Las Vegas for him and his husband.
The Office of Congressional Ethics (OEC) identified several expenditures as possible habituate of cause money for personal use. The OEC said a nearly $2,300 banknote at an unidentified gambling casino inwards Atlantic City incurred during a one-night stay put for July 23-24, 2022, raised concerns.
The Ethics investigating determined that Santos did not boniface or go to any political or hunting expedition events during that clip in Atlantic Ocean City or anyplace nearby. a Santos staffer told federal investigators that the congressman told him “that he enjoyed visiting casinos to spiel roulette, often with his husband.”
The poke into additionally found a potentiality utilization of campaign funds for personal expenditures for a trigger Santos took with his married man to Las Vegas in Dec 2021. Staffers told investigators that Santos had told them at the time that he was sledding to Las Vegas for his honeymoon and thither were no more corresponding run events on his calendar.
The OCE account also discovered legion(p) charges and ATM withdrawals from banking accounts and credit cards belonging to Santos’ political campaign called “Santos for Congress.” They include a $113.37 drug withdrawal at the Excalibur Hotel & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip on Dec. 4, 2021. The dealings was non reported to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), which enforces run finance laws.
On July 24, 2022, Santos allegedly withdrew $1,084.99 from an ATM interior Harrah’s Resort & Casino inwards Atlantic City. The following day, he made another ATM climb-down for $659.99 at Caesars Atlantic City. Both of those transactions weren’t reported to the FEC.
‘Overwhelming Evidence’
Controversy and outrage encircled the integrality of Santos’ short clip inwards Congress. Reports surfaced as he fictitious business office in Jan that the New House of York City native misrepresented many aspects of his life during his 2022 campaign, including prevarication almost his kinsfolk beingness of Jewish heritage and his grandparents existence final solution refugees.
Santos was also criticized for claiming he graduated at the top out of his class from Bernard Mannes Baruch College despite ne'er graduating from the Manhattan university. Santos claimed he was “a veteran(a) Wall Street financier and investor” and had antecedently worked for Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, but neither fellowship has any track record of his employment.
Santos has also claimed to hold been the victim of hate crimes despite never reporting any such incident to the police. Santos additionally claimed to have successfully beaten a learning ability tumor and committed many hours of large-hearted work on for children born with the rarefied genetical skin precondition called epidermolysis bullosa. group A Vice News investigation, however, could non bump any associated brotherly love willing to support Santos’ involvement or support.
Rep. Michael Guest (R-Mississippi), who chairs the House Ethics Committee, said no more ane wants to forcibly take away a lawmaker, but “the evidence was overwhelming” with Santos’ alleged lies and corruption.
Santos is veneer 23 charges inward a federal indictment. He has pleaded not guilty.