US Representative George Santos was arrested for fraud and money laundering.

Federal allegations of fraud, money laundering, and theft of public funds led to the arrest of US Representative George Santos on Wednesday. This is the latest blow to the recently elected Republican, who has defied calls to resign for fabricating his resume.

Santos, 34, is accused of defrauding potential political supporters by laundering money to pay for his personal costs and fraudulently collecting unemployment benefits while he was employed in the 13-count indictment, which was released on Wednesday.

Additionally, he is charged with lying to the House of Representatives about his assets, income, and liabilities.

Breon Peace, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, released a statement saying: "Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself."

Peace claimed that the politician "used political contributions to line his pockets, unlawfully applied for unemployment benefits that should have gone to New Yorkers who had lost their jobs due to the pandemic, and lied to the House of Representatives."

Requests for comment were forwarded to Santos' attorney via his congressional office. Requests for comment after the indictment did not immediately elicit a response from Santos' defense counsel.

Top House Republicans, who currently have a tenuous 222-213 margin in the body, have said they will reserve judgment on Santos. According to Speaker Kevin McCarthy, "In America, you're innocent until proven guilty."

A few time after Santos was chosen to represent a wealthy part of Long Island, New York, in 2022, the New York Times and other media sources exposed that he had made up practically all of his personal and professional past.

Santos claimed, among other things, that he held degrees from Baruch College and New York University, even though neither school had any proof of his enrollment. He also falsely claimed to have held positions at Citigroup and Goldman Sachs.

He claimed falsely to be Jewish and to have Jewish ancestors who managed to flee the Nazis during World War Two. Santos, who self-identifies as gay, also omitted the fact that he had a long-term marriage to a woman that ended in 2019.

He then acknowledged that he had made up a sizable portion of his resume.

By fLEXI tEAM