U.S. Rep. George Santos was arraigned Friday on a revised indictment accusing him of several frauds, including making tens of thousands of dollars in unauthorized charges on credit cards belonging to some of his campaign donors. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The New York Republican appeared at a courthouse on Long Island early Friday to enter his not guilty plea to the new allegations. He has also pleaded not guilty to other charges, first filed in May, accusing him of lying to Congress about his wealth, applying for and receiving unemployment benefits, even though he had a job, and using campaign contributions to pay for personal expenses like designer clothing.
Santos is due back in court for a hearing on Dec. 12, and Judge Joanne Seybert tentatively set his trial date for Sept. 9, 2024, much to the chagrin of some of Santos’s constituents who were in the courtroom. The prosecution requested the trial be in May or June of 2024, due to the public interest in the case.
Santos has been free on bail while he awaits trial. He has denied any serious wrongdoing and blamed irregularities in his government regulatory filings on his former campaign treasurer, Nancy Marks, who he claims “went rogue.”
Marks in turn has implicated Santos. She told a judge when she recently pleaded guilty to a fraud conspiracy charge that she had helped Santos trick Republican party officials into supporting his run for office in 2022 through bogus Federal Election Committee filings that made him look richer than he really was, partly by listing an imaginary $500,000 loan that had supposedly come from his personal wealth.
Part of the arraignment process included resolving potential conflicts of interest for Joseph Murray, Santos’s attorney. These conflicts arose when it was revealed that Murray knew two people mentioned in the arraignment document – Marks and an individual identified to the court as Person 1. Marks had served as Murray’s campaign manager for his 2019 campaign for Queens District Attorney, and Murray had represented Person 1 in the past.
Santos waived the potential conflict, enabling Murray to remain his attorney.
Santos has continued to represent his New York district in Congress since he was charged, rejecting calls for his resignation from several fellow New York Republicans.
He has also said he intends to run for reelection next year.
-With Associated Press
