# Representative George Santos: Indictment and Prosecution (Expelled from Congress on Dec 1, 2023) **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 10, 2023, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850 "2023-05-10T14:28:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2023, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850/221 "2023-10-10T23:54:35Z")
Though 15 Senators were expelled, 14 were in the Civil War, and the other one was in 1797. At least in the last century and a half they’ve _only_ expelled Congressmen. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2023, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850/222 "2023-10-11T00:00:26Z")
True, although there were several Senators against whom expulsion proceedings were begun but resigned when they saw the writing in the wall — Harrison Williams, Bob Packwood, John Ensign. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2023, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850/223 "2023-10-11T00:09:52Z")
[Here’s a gift link to the NY Times article about the new charges](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/10/nyregion/george-santos-charges.html?unlocked_article_code=lBftrkW_UcmOvRPnHcDC7M2UkqKSed-2U2YYHo3tXZQMyauyED2opj41VIRetq1_U5y1vHhFxTSBotyUjuov6IZv7KX_4pqFY7Ce1hkzk9Q5MGv2dIuMdh3kOx21dt33yWEXw36MsKRrLlsiK2kZmS12zLHETelPWy2UfU9m1Jl5yK3unFupNx3pMcR4O0ymFaNsZIbHJm1q568-9ah0LiBtnQ7XTUPWIoPO0D7ql8OyTRUR3CvfcqEWhlpvX2FBHCRPO8npdQ1VbBlI2CVP3JiKeOQXdPWvKTpJCRei3RKpDxA32RY1iY4kmK3avSo3lDWZ2vVADQ_J-8Qmhn4BBQ&smid=url-share). Of note: > The new accusations were made in a 23-count superseding indictment that laid out how Mr. Santos had charged his donors’ credit cards “repeatedly, without their authorization,” distributing the money to his and other candidates’ campaigns and to his own bank account. > > [The new indictment filed](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/10/10/nyregion/santos-indictment-new-charges.html) in the Eastern District of New York added 10 charges against Mr. Santos: conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, access device fraud, false statements to the Federal Election Commission and falsifying records to obstruct the commission. > > The accusations against Mr. Santos, a first-term Republican of New York, seem vastly different from the typical corruption cases that ensnare politicians. Many of those have hinged on intricate quid pro quos and complex legal questions about the nature of a political bribe. > > Mr. Santos’s alleged misdeeds, in contrast, have more in common with those of a run-of-the-mill grifter. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2023, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850/224 "2023-10-11T00:13:53Z")
> [@ShadowFacts](#): > > Mr. Santos’s alleged misdeeds, in contrast, have more in common with those of a run-of-the-mill grifter. Who are they hinting at, I wonder? ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2023, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850/225 "2023-10-11T05:33:42Z")
Making a fake loan of $500,000 to your campaign in the hopes of raising money later and claiming that you are paying yourself back is an amusing form of larceny. Misusing credit card numbers of donors to make repeated and unauthorized charges for personal expenses is just brazen theft. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2023, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850/226 "2023-10-11T10:48:31Z")
I’m beginning to think this guy might not be on the up-and-up… ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2023, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850/227 "2023-10-11T11:32:31Z")
> [@Stratocaster](#): > > I’m beginning to think this guy might not be on the up-and-up While also managing not to keep his business dealings on the down low either. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2023, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850/228 "2023-10-11T19:55:55Z")
> We will see if this goes anywhere or, as is more likely, it’s mere posturing for the voters in their districts. Santos has a response: [![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53250558502_d9e1f9ba4c_b.jpg "20231011\_145844") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/68782016@N08/53250558502/) “Hey, Scalise! I’ll vote for ya if you make this go away!” ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850/229 "2023-10-12T14:17:05Z")
Did he have the vapors after that? ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850/230 "2023-10-12T19:00:11Z")
TPM has a good blow by blow account, based upon the prosecutor’s findings. Much of the fraud circled around raising funds to qualify for the Republican National Committee’s Young Guns program, headed at the time by Kevin McCarthy, former House Speaker. [https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/a-cash-crunch-and-credit-card-spending-spree-prosecutors-detail-george-santos-wild-ride](https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/a-cash-crunch-and-credit-card-spending-spree-prosecutors-detail-george-santos-wild-ride) Santos became a Young Gun in June 2022, permitting him to redirect other donor money to a shell company he had set up that acted as a slush fund. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850/231 "2023-10-12T20:57:04Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > Santos became a Young Gun in June 2022, permitting him to redirect other donor money to a shell company he had set up that acted as a slush fund. He seems to have been a quick learner, I’ll give him that. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850/232 "2023-10-12T23:10:48Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Michael Myers was expelled in 1980 after being convicted on bribery charges No wonder [he went bad](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Myers_(Halloween)). Oh. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2023, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850/233 "2023-10-13T01:06:27Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > No wonder [he went bad](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Myers_(Halloween)). And then [worse.](https://universal-pictures.fandom.com/wiki/The_Cat_in_the_Hat) ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2023, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850/234 "2023-10-13T01:31:19Z")
lol. Santos crying because Scalise won’t return his phone calls. SO, so whiny… > ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2023, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850/235 "2023-10-13T03:37:40Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > TPM has a good blow by blow account, based upon the prosecutor’s findings. Much of the fraud circled around raising funds to qualify for the Republican National Committee’s Young Guns program, headed at the time by Kevin McCarthy, former House Speaker. > > [https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/a-cash-crunch-and-credit-card-spending-spree-prosecutors-detail-george-santos-wild-ride](https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/a-cash-crunch-and-credit-card-spending-spree-prosecutors-detail-george-santos-wild-ride) > > Santos became a Young Gun in June 2022, permitting him to redirect other donor money to a shell company he had set up that acted as a slush fund. I would find it hilarious if it turns out that his manipulation of the RNC funding program didn’t violate any laws. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2023, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850/236 "2023-10-13T13:07:50Z")
Fraud is still fraud even if there’s no specific laws about campaign finance probity. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2023, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850/237 "2023-10-13T15:04:18Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > TPM has a good blow by blow account, based upon the prosecutor’s findings. Much of the fraud circled around raising funds to qualify for the Republican National Committee’s _ **Young Guns** _ program, headed at the time by Kevin McCarthy, former House Speaker. So, I guess this is another point for Gun Control… I’ll get my Coat… Press on ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2023, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850/238 "2023-10-13T18:55:36Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I would find it hilarious if it turns out that his manipulation of the RNC funding program didn’t violate any laws. It makes me wonder about all the loans the Great Grifter supposedly gave to his own campaigns. Given his tendency to announce other types of donations and then quietly renege, I wonder whether the campaign loans were on the up and up. And did he “reimburse” himself? Hmmmm. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2023, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850/239 "2023-10-13T19:51:57Z")
I bet the loans from GG to the campaign were imaginary. The repayments from the campaign back to the GG were all real, very real. The Best kind of repayments. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2023, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850/240 "2023-10-15T03:29:03Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I would find it hilarious if it turns out that his manipulation of the RNC funding program didn’t violate any laws. It almost certainly violated the law, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if it didn’t violate any RNC or NRCC rules. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850.md?page=13)