End Citizens United (ECU) President Tiffany Muller released the following statement on news that Congressman George Santos has been indicted by the Department of Justice:
“Today’s indictment is a victory for the hardworking families of New York’s 3rd Congressional District, who have been betrayed by George Santos’ corrupt and unethical actions. His presence in the people’s House is a disgraceful affront to the very foundations of our democracy. This indictment is a necessary step towards accountability and restoring the integrity of our democracy.
“We commend the Department of Justice for their thorough investigation and prosecution of these violations of campaign finance laws. The American people deserve to know that their elected officials are held to the highest standards of integrity and transparency.
“We’re thrilled to see George Santos finally facing consequences for his corruption and deception–and we look forward to more charges being brought against him. Today is a good day.”
End Citizens United was a leader in holding Santos accountable. The organization filed several complaints with the Federal Election Commission and the Department of Justice, providing evidence of Santos’ illegal activity.
See below for a recap of complaints filed by End Citizens United:
DOJ complaint:
The DOJ complaint states that Santos violated federal law on multiple occasions by failing to file any financial disclosure reports in 2021 as required and failing to file on time in 2022 prior to the Republican primary election on August 23. In addition, after Santos donated more than $500,000 to his own campaign, he failed to accurately disclose several sources of income and identify which banking institution they belong to, and failed to identify clients he allegedly performed services for through the Devolder Organization.
FEC Complaint #1:
Recent reporting indicates that Mr. Santos may have funded the more than $700,000 in loans he made to his campaign using funds from a company he purportedly owned or, in the alternative, using the company as a “shell” to disguise the true sources of the contributions, in violation of Act’s strict ban on corporation contributions and contributions in the name of another. Additionally, the campaign disclosed hundreds of expenditures in amounts under $200, with nearly 40 disbursements in the precise amount of $199.99, apparently to skirt the Act’s recordkeeping requirements. There is also reason to believe that the campaign may have violated the Act’s personal use prohibition by making rental payments at a home where Mr. Santos was living.
FEC Complaint #2:
Sam Miele, who worked as a fundraiser for George Santos’ congressional campaign during the 2020 and 2022 election cycles, impersonated Dan Meyer, the chief of staff to then Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, to solicit campaign contributions to Santos’ campaign. Federal law states that no person shall fraudulently misrepresent themselves as acting on behalf of a candidate or an agent of a candidate for the purpose of soliciting contributions.
FEC Complaint #3:
Santos illegally reported campaign expenses in connection with a recount effort for his failed 2020 election despite the fact that a recount never occurred. Santos lost by 12.4% in that election. It also alleges that Santos used funds for the recount to pay for campaign expenditures associated with his 2022 campaign, and that he filed a late statement of candidacy.
OCE Complaint:
On December 29, 2022, reports emerged that Devolder Santos for Congress, Santos’s principal campaign committee, sent invitations to his swearing-in event that included a fundraising appeal. The email stated that individuals who contributed $100 as an attendee or $500 as a VIP would get a roundtrip bus from New York to Washington, D.C. and be able to participate in a luncheon, the Congressman’s swearing-in ceremony, and a “Team Santos” tour of Capitol Grounds. Soliciting funds in connection with a swearing-in event held on Capitol grounds is a blatant violation of both U.S. Federal Code and House Ethics rules.
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