U.S. Representative George Santos, RN.Y., speaks to the media outside the federal courthouse in Central Islip, NY, Wednesday. The next day, he virtually appeared in a Brazilian court to face separate charges.
Seth Wenig/AP
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Seth Wenig/AP
U.S. Representative George Santos, RN.Y., speaks to the media outside the federal courthouse in Central Islip, NY, Wednesday. The next day, he virtually appeared in a Brazilian court to face separate charges.
Seth Wenig/AP
RIO DE JANEIRO — US Congressman George Santos may have settled at least one of his legal cases, this time in Brazil.
The Republic of New York faces charges in a suburb outside Rio de Janeiro alleging he stole checks to buy clothes and other goods in 2008.
On Thursday, Santos signed an agreement with Brazilian prosecutors that he would confess and agree to pay nearly $5,000 in fines and restitution to avoid prosecution. Brazilian prosecutors dropped the charges.
Just one day later plead not guilty To separate the charges in the US, Santos appeared from afar at a criminal court in the Brazilian suburb of Niterói.
Brazilian prosecutors accused him of using a fake name and stolen checkbooks to purchase goods, including tennis shoes, at a store in Niterói. He was formally charged in 2011 but authorities lost track of Santos until he became a US congressman in 2022.
Brazil’s charges were dropped after the congressman’s agreement and there are no further cases against him, Santos’ lawyer told NPR.
On Wednesday, the 34-year-old freshman member of Congress appeared in a New York court and pleaded not guilty 13 felonies in a separate lawsuit against him.
The US charges cover a range of financial crimes, including lying, theft and embezzlement of funds from donors for personal gain. He was also charged with falsely claiming unemployment benefits.
He was released from US federal custody on a $500,000 bond while legal proceedings proceed.
Controversy has pursued Santos since he was elected in November. New York Times revealed that he misled people about his education and personal background. During his campaign, he described himself as the grandson of a Holocaust survivor, a Wall Street financier and a volleyball star.
Santos has described the New York charges against him as a “witch hunt”, telling reporters he will fight to make his name clear and move on. run for re-election.
