# 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:** 25
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2023, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850/481 "2023-12-01T17:43:37Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > A Parting Gift: I’m beginning to question Mr Santos’ integrity. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2023, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850/482 "2023-12-01T18:03:21Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > > [@CalMeacham](#): > > > > A Parting Gift: > > I’m beginning to question Mr Santos’ integrity. . I’m beginning to question his humanity. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2023, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850/483 "2023-12-01T18:16:54Z")
I’m beginning to wonder if he’s a performance artist in the vein of Andy Kauffman. He’s such a trolling scumbag, it’s almost unreal, like it’s a character. I mean, I know he’s not a performance artist, just a con artist, but everything about him is just so wild, I’m half expecting him to challenge Nancy Pelosi to a wrestling match. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2023, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850/484 "2023-12-01T18:24:00Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > > [@kayaker](#): > > > > I’m beginning to question Mr Santos’ integrity. . > > I’m beginning to question his humanity. I’m not questioning his Republicanism at all. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2023, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850/485 "2023-12-01T18:30:14Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > We have spent tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees in the resulting follow-up What’s up with that? How does it cost tens of thousands of dollars to do a chargeback? I know I’ve had to do chargebacks for my business, and the business has to supply some proof that the good/service was rendered. You would think that in the case of a donation the credit card company would easily side with the cardholder, as really neither the CC company or the recipient is out any money. I believe Rep. Miller about the fraudulent charges but it’s pretty weird that it costs so much in legal fees to get the money back. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2023, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850/486 "2023-12-01T18:33:26Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > What’s up with that? How does it cost tens of thousands of dollars to do a chargeback? It’s the cost of the plastic surgery to fix the faces the leopards ate. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2023, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850/487 "2023-12-01T18:36:59Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > What’s up with that? How does it cost tens of thousands of dollars to do a chargeback? I don’t think it was for a chargeback - the legal fees were probably related to exceeding the limit for contributions. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2023, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850/488 "2023-12-01T18:37:41Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > I don’t think it was for a chargeback - the legal fees were probably related to exceeding the limit for contributions. Aha! Thank you, that makes sense! ---
**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:** [December 1, 2023, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850/489 "2023-12-01T18:38:28Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > What’s up with that? How does it cost tens of thousands of dollars to do a chargeback? > > I know I’ve had to do chargebacks for my business, and the business has to supply some proof that the good/service was rendered. You would think that in the case of a donation the credit card company would easily side with the cardholder, as really neither the CC company or the recipient is out any money. From the article: > “I myself have been a victim of George Santos, as well as other members of Congress in terms of defrauding through public donations, receiving an ethics complaint from the FEC which I had to spend tens of thousands to defend myself,” If the chargeback occurred after an FEC report was filed, I assume it would trigger an investigation, if the amounts exceeded contribution limits. If the chargeback occurred after one billing cycle due to Miller’s carelessness, I speculate that lawyers might have some work to do. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2023, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850/490 "2023-12-01T18:41:49Z")
Ok, the first 2 candidates mentioned in the article below are the ones I linked above, Tom Suozzi and Anna Kaplan. The link below is a “gift”, so no NYT paywall. > **[George Santos Is Gone. Two Dozen Candidates Want His Seat.](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/01/nyregion/santos-special-election-replacement.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Ck0.0mEr.pSejw75sCPDE&smid=url-share)** > > The New York Republican’s expulsion sets the stage for a high-stakes special election early next year to fill his Long Island swing seat. And I have to say again that while I hope that a Dem will be elected, it may well not happen: “Political analysts rate the district, stretching from the outskirts of New York City into the heart of Nassau County’s affluent suburbs on Long Island, as a tossup. President Biden won the district by eight points in 2020, but it has shifted rightward in three consecutive elections since, as voters fearful about crime and inflation have flocked to Republicans.” “Anyone who thinks a special election on Long Island is a slam dunk for Democrats has been living under a rock for the last three years,” said Isaac Goldberg, a strategist who advised the losing Democratic campaign against Mr. Santos in 2022." ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2023, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850/491 "2023-12-01T19:40:47Z")
> [@Skypist](#): > > I wonder what he expected to happen. That no one would (eventually) notice all his lying and stealing? Or that he’d somehow develop a trump-esque following that would protect him? I am not so sure he was thinking about the future. I deal with people like Santos at work on occasion, and the impression I get is they are just going to see how far they can get before being fired. But they’ll act with incredulity when you make it clear they’re being fired for their actions. ---
**Author:** ![Dandan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a87d85/32.png) [@Dandan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dandan)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2023, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850/492 "2023-12-01T19:59:13Z")
How, pray tell, did he get access to a congressman’s, not to mention the c’s Mom’s, credit cards? Just asking out of idle curiosity, not so as to, y’know, appropriate a technique; just asking for ALL us curious dopers. Dan ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2023, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850/493 "2023-12-01T20:00:02Z")
From what I recall, people made a single donation, they kept the CC info, and made more, larger charges. ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2023, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850/494 "2023-12-01T20:01:39Z")
I think we’ve learned that being a not very good con artist can get you pretty far. ---
**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:** [December 1, 2023, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850/495 "2023-12-01T20:09:58Z")
Even to the White House! ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2023, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850/496 "2023-12-01T20:10:48Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > From what I recall, people made a single donation, they kept the CC info, and made more, larger charges As it happens, NPR ran a story about this type of unethical fundraising just this morning: > **[How political campaigns are raising millions through unwitting donors](https://www.npr.org/transcripts/1216340254)** > > Our Planet Money team explores how much money has been raised by political campaigns that automatically sign up donors to weekly donations without their knowledge. To sum it up, some shady political campaigns sneak in an option to make your donation a recurring weekly charge, on a fundraising form. The dirty part is when this is set as a default, and the donor has to uncheck the box - if they notice it. The two economists who studied thousands of donation records say that it was - surprise! -much more common in Republican campaigns than Democratic ones. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2023, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850/497 "2023-12-01T20:11:48Z")
😲 🤯 Plus characters… ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2023, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850/498 "2023-12-01T20:17:30Z")
Yes, in his updated indictment he was charged with tapping into his donors’ credit card numbers to the tune of an extra $44K w/o their knowledge and then moving that money from the committee to his own pocket. ---
**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:** [December 1, 2023, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850/499 "2023-12-01T20:20:27Z")
> [@rocking\_chair](#): > > “The House spoke that’s their vote. They just set new dangerous precedent for themselves,” he added. The dangerous precedent was nominating and running a candidate without doing any sort of background check on him at all. He apparently said everything they wanted to hear, checked the right boxes for them, and they wanted to believe he was real so hard that nobody bothered to verify that he was. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2023, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850/500 "2023-12-01T20:25:28Z")
Well that one’s on the Nassau County Republican Party, they’re gonna have to cough and harrumph and pretend to examine the wallpaper a lot at conventions for years to come… …and on their Dem counterparts for running the Worst. Oppo. Research. Ever. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850.md?page=24) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/representative-george-santos-indictment-and-prosecution-expelled-from-congress-on-dec-1-2023/983850.md?page=26)