Scandal-hit rep George Santos faces criminal investigation after admitting to faking his resume
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Republican New York Congressman George Santos is under multiple criminal investigations after it was revealed that he lied about his family background, educational and business background, and possible financial improprieties. Nassau County GOP District Attorney Anne Donnelly announced Wednesday, December 28, that she has opened an investigation into George Santos' falsifications or, as the politician puts it, "resume embellishment."
"The residents of Nassau County and other parts of the third district must have an honest and accountable representative in Congress," Donnelly said in a statement. "No one is above the law, and if a crime was committed in this county, we will prosecute it," according to the Daily Mail. Santos is also under investigation by the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York for the congressman-elect's finances and financial disclosures, according to CBS News.
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Moreover, after Santos's web of lies about working at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup finally became undone, the congressman later explaining his discrepancies said, he "never worked directly" for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, and that he simply used a "poor choice of words," adding that the aforementioned corporations did have dealings with Linkthe company he worked for, Link Bridge, did business with both Goldman and Citi, per Daily Mail. Also after claiming to work at Wall Street, it was found out that Santos worked at a Dish Satellite call center located in the College Point section of Queens and made $15 an hour while struggling to pay his bills.
Interestingly, aside from his resume fabrications, there are rising concerns surrounding his newly acquired financial fortune, despite having cash flow problems, evictions, and owing thousands back in rent, as MEAWW previously reported. However, Santos explained in an interview with Semafor that he earned his money from a company he founded - Devolder, and made between $3.5 million and $11.5 million showed his filings from his 2022 campaign and through Devolder he loaned his campaign $700,000, reported the source.
Santos founded Devolder in May 2021 and said the company's capital introduction business included "deal building" and "specialty consulting" for "high net worth individuals." After six months of incorporating Devolder the newly elected rep claimed he landed "a couple multi-million-dollar contracts" but in September 2022 Devolder dissolved after failing to file an annual report. Subsequently, Devolder was brought back last week as a Florida-based company after New York Times report. Considering the company's disappearance just before Santos's November election, Rep.-elect and former federal prosecutor Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) questioned whether the company was created as a front to funnel illegal campaign donations.
Goldman, former lead counsel in the first impeachment of President Donald Trump, suggested the congressman come clean and provide documents about his finances and company to avoid formal investigation. "If he wants to avoid an investigation and he wants to truly come clean, as he claimed he was trying to do yesterday and that other Republican members elected called for him to do, then he should be an open book and reveal all of this related to the Devolder Organization," Goldman told Semafor. However, Santos said he would provide the necessary documentation "if it was requested" of him and to only "proper authorities."
"I don't dance to the tune of Congressman-elect Dan Goldman," Santos said in response to his fellow colleague. "I don't dance to the tune of these guys. If it was requested of me to produce any documentation from this organization, I have no problem doing so to people with the proper authority, not to authoritarian members of congress that think they have authority over their peers."