George Santos indictment: Congressman pleads not guilty to 13 counts

The freshman representative pleaded not guilty to 13 criminal counts.

ByWill Steakin and Aaron Katersky
Last Updated: May 10, 2023, 6:01 PM EDT

Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., has been indicted on 13 criminal counts, including seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives, federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York said Wednesday.

The embattled congressman, who was taken into custody Wednesday on Long Island, New York, pleaded not guilty on all counts at his arraignment then was released on bond.

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May 10, 2023, 9:46 AM EDT

Investigators focused on financial disclosures: Sources

Investigators have been focusing on Santos' financial disclosures, according to sources.

In a series of campaign disclosure amendments filed in January, Santos marked two loans that he had previously reported as loans from himself -- $500,000 from March 2022 and $125,000 from October 2022 -- as not from "personal funds from the candidate."

In a previous version of his campaign disclosure, the $500,000 was reported as a loan from George Anthony Devolder-Santos, with a checked box indicating it was from "personal funds of the candidate." But in an amendment to that report filed earlier this year, that box was left unchecked.

Santos, who was elected in November to represent New York's 3rd Congressional District, has been under mounting scrutiny over his finances -- with 2022 disclosures indicating millions in assets after previously disclosing less than $60,000 in income in 2020.

-ABC News' Soo Rin Kim

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