Today, End Citizens United (ECU) filed complaints with the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE), and the Federal Election Commission (FEC) against Congressman George Santos (R-NY).
The FEC complaint states that Santos used a shell company to hide the true sources of the $700,000 loan he made to his campaign, and tried to skirt recordkeeping requirements by disclosing hundreds of expenditures under $200. The complaint with the DOJ states that Santos failed to follow the law by filing his financial disclosures significantly past deadline, inaccurately, and with concerning omissions. The OCE complaint states that Santos violated U.S. Federal Code and House Ethics rules by soliciting campaign contributions on Capitol grounds.
“Congressman Santos has shown a blatant disregard for the law and has flagrantly brushed aside the transparency voters deserve from their elected officials,” said End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller. “His actions are not only unethical, but illegal, and call into question his ability to serve. The FEC, the DOJ, and the OCE should immediately begin investigations and hold him accountable for his shady and unlawful actions.”
The 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.
In addition to these clear violations of law, Santos’ financial disclosures strongly contradict claims he has made publicly about his financial background, including his “family fortune in real estate,” since the only property listed on his disclosure is an apartment in Rio de Janeiro, and his claims to be an “investor”, as he did not list any investment assets other than the apartment.
The 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.
The FEC complaint:
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.
Click here to view the DOJ complaint.
Click here to view the OCE complaint.
Click here to view the FEC complaint.
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