According to Reuters, the US representative George Santos is suspected, for example, of raising unemployment benefits while he was working.
A Republican representative who lied in his election campaign George Santos has been arrested, reports the Reuters news agency. Yesterday, Tuesday, information about the criminal charges against Santos became public.
According to a press release issued by the US Department of Justice on Wednesday, they stemmed from fraud, money laundering and embezzlement of public funds.
Santos is expected to appear in court later Wednesday in New York.
The 34-year-old Santos was elected to the United States Congress in the November 8 midterm elections. Shortly after the election, ambiguities began to emerge from the claims he made during the election campaign.
Almost everything Santos had told about his work history, education and family background was made up.
Lies about Jewish roots
According to Reuters, Santos said, for example, that he received degrees from New York University and Baruch College. When the information started to be checked, it turned out that he was not in the register of either degree program.
Santos also claimed to have worked for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, two international banks. This too was later found to be an untrue claim.
The lies even went so far that Santos claimed to be Jewish and told that his grandparents had fled the Nazi occupation during World War II.
He has explained his lies to the BBC in an interview (you move to another service) saying they were intended to win the approval of the Republican Party.
Accusations of money laundering and fraud
The charges against Santos that came to light this week include money laundering and fraud.
According to the Reuters news agency, according to the 13-count indictment, Santos, for example, accepted unemployment benefits while working and laundered money to finance his own personal expenses.
He is also suspected of lying about his wealth and income to the US House of Representatives.