History of George Santos in Timeline
George Anthony Devolder Santos is a former American politician and convicted felon who served as the U.S. representative for New York's 3rd congressional district from January to December 2023, when he was expelled. He won the seat in 2022 after unsuccessfully running in 2020. Santos, who is openly gay, was the first openly LGBT Republican elected to Congress.
July 22, 1988: George Santos's Birth
On July 22, 1988, George Anthony Devolder Santos was born.
1998: Father's Remarriage
Around 1998, Gercino Santos, George Santos's father, remarried in his native state of Minas Gerais, Brazil.
June 2001: Santos's mother living in Brazil
In June 2001, Fatima, George Santos's mother, reported that she was living in Brazil.
2005: Alleged Start of Dressing in Drag
According to two former acquaintances, George Santos allegedly began dressing in drag in 2005.
2005: Citigroup's asset management division sale
In 2005, Citigroup sold its asset management division, before George Santos's claimed period of employment.
2007: Trip to the U.S.
In 2007, George Santos returned from a trip to the U.S. with expensive materials for a dress that were not available in Brazil at the time.
2008: Move to Niterói, Brazil
Around 2008, George Santos moved to Niterói, Brazil, where his mother was living.
2008: LGBT Activism and Drag Pageants
In 2008, George Santos was reportedly involved in LGBT activism and competed as a drag queen in Brazilian beauty pageants, using the name Kitara Ravache. However, Santos denied being a drag queen.
2008: Santos Forged Checks in Brazil
In 2008, Santos forged checks in Brazil to buy clothing, using the name Délio.
2009: Rocco Oppedisano's Legal Issues
In 2009, Rocco Oppedisano, the brother of Il Bacco's owner, had his permanent resident status revoked after guns and drugs were seized from his properties. This event later affected his eligibility to make campaign contributions to George Santos.
2010: Santos Charged with Check Fraud
In 2010, Santos was charged with check fraud in Brazil after confessing to police.
October 2011: Started at Dish Network
In October 2011, George Santos began working as a customer service representative at Dish Network.
2011: Santos Leaves Brazil
Around 2011, George Santos left Niterói, Brazil.
2011: Anthony Devolder Wikipedia page
In 2011, a Wikipedia userpage created under the alias "Anthony Devolder" claimed to have acted in Hannah Montana and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody.
2011: Spider-Man Musical
In 2011, when the Spider-Man musical opened, George Santos was living in Brazil, and his alleged time as producer overlaps his employment at Dish Network.
July 2012: Left Dish Network
In July 2012, George Santos left his job at Dish Network.
July 2012: End of Employment at Dish Network
In July 2012, George Santos's employment at Dish Network ended.
2012: Coworkers speculate about Santos's marriage
In 2012, Santos's coworkers speculated that he got married to access wealth, appease family concerns about his sexuality, or assist his wife with immigration.
May 2013: Filing to dissolve marriage withdrawn
In May 2013, a filing to dissolve Santos's marriage was withdrawn.
December 2013: Roommate Moves into Apartment
In December 2013, a roommate moved into the first apartment after befriending Santos.
2013: Vilarva Discovered Brazilian Charges
In 2013, Vilarva discovered the 2013 Brazilian charges against Santos.
2013: Brazilian Court Described Santos as American
In 2013, a Brazilian court described George Santos as American.
2013: Brazilian Case Archived
In 2013, the check fraud case against Santos was archived by a Brazilian court because authorities were unable to locate him.
2013: Claim of being a model
In late 2013, George Santos told a roommate that he was a model who had worked at New York Fashion Week and would be appearing in Vogue.
2013: Started Working for HotelsPro
Sometime after 2013, George Santos worked for HotelsPro.
July 2014: Immigration petition approved
In July 2014, Santos's family-based immigration petition on his wife's behalf was approved.
September 2014: Hamilton Loans Money
In September 2014, Peter Hamilton loaned Santos money for moving expenses.
2014: Santos Signed a Lease on Apartment
In 2014, Santos signed a lease on an apartment in Whitestone.
2014: Roommate's loan and NYU claim
In 2014, a roommate lent George Santos money, and recalled Santos claiming to be a graduate of NYU's business school, but seemed not to know its name.
October 2015: Court Orders Santos to Repay Loan
In October 2015, a small claims court judge ordered Santos to pay Peter Hamilton $5,000 plus interest to repay a loan Hamilton made to Santos in September 2014 for moving expenses.
2015: Relationship Soured
In early 2015, the relationship soured when Vilarva stopped believing Santos's promises, and after Vilarva came to believe Santos had taken his cell phone to pawn it, he discovered the 2013 Brazilian charges against Santos and moved out.
January 2016: Claimed Robbery
In January 2016, George Santos claimed to have been robbed of the money he was on his way to give his former landlady's attorney in settlement of her eviction claim against him.
January 2016: Santos Claims Mugging
In mid-January 2016, Santos told Queens Housing Court that he was mugged on his way to make a payment, but police were unable to take a report at the time.
2016: Moved to Orlando, Florida
In early 2016, George Santos moved to Orlando, Florida, to work for HotelsPro.
2016: Pulse nightclub shooting
The 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting took place in Orlando, but the 49 victims killed in the attack had no connection to any company named in George Santos's biography.
2017: Civil Judgment Entered Against Santos
In 2017, a Queens court entered a civil judgment of $12,208 against Santos in his third known eviction case.
March 2019: Santos speaks at #WalkAway Foundation event
At a March 2019 event held by the conservative #WalkAway Foundation, Santos (introducing himself as Anthony Devolder) claimed to have formed a group called United for Trump.
July 2019: Counter-Protest in Buffalo
In July 2019, United for Trump, led by George Santos, staged a counter-protest to an anti-Trump rally in Buffalo, New York, resulting in a fistfight.
November 2019: Launched Congressional Campaign
In November 2019, George Santos launched his campaign as a Republican for the United States House of Representatives in New York's 3rd congressional district, against Democratic incumbent Tom Suozzi.
2019: Santos claims he attended Horace Mann School
In 2019 and 2020, George Santos said that as a child, he attended the Horace Mann School, an elite preparatory school in the Bronx, before withdrawing because of family hardship.
2019: Campaign Committee Formed
In 2019 shortly after being formed, George Santos's campaign committee made its first donations to Trump's presidential campaign committee and two local Republican organizations.
2019: LinkBridge Investors Role
In 2019, George Santos' campaign disclosure form and a company document listed him as a vice president at LinkBridge Investors, but he was later described as a freelancer.
January 2020: Joined Harbor City Capital
In January 2020, George Santos began working for Harbor City Capital, an alternative investment firm.
January 2020: Santos claims Jewish ancestry
In a January 2020 appearance on Talking GOP, Santos claimed his maternal grandfather grew up Jewish and converted to Catholicism before the Holocaust. He also claimed, "I believe we are all Jewish, at the end – because Jesus Christ is Jewish."
June 2020: Opened Harbor City Capital Office in Manhattan
In June 2020, George Santos opened an office for Harbor City Capital in Manhattan and became the firm's New York regional director.
July 2020: Moved to Whitestone
In July 2020, George Santos and his partner moved to a rowhouse in Whitestone, Queens.
October 2020: Knee replacement claim
In October 2020, George Santos said he had both knees replaced.
October 2020: Santos claims support from Steve Israel
On an October 2020 radio show, George Santos claimed that Democratic former congressman Steve Israel offered him his support during an event hosted by the Council for a Secure America, a claim Israel denied.
2020: Campaign finance violation suggestion
During George Santos's 2020 campaign, a consultant described him as "a walking campaign-finance violation," as he suggested that donors bypass contribution limits.
2020: Lying about education
During his 2020 campaign, no one raised questions about George Santos' lies regarding his education.
2020: Campaign Spending at Il Bacco
During his 2020 congressional run, George Santos reported spending over $25,000 at Il Bacco, a popular eatery for New York City Republican events. He also entertained prospective Harbor City clients there, indicating a potential overlap between campaign and business expenses.
2020: Contributions Received in 2020
George Santos's 2020 campaign received contributions of which many were later discovered to be from fictitious or nonexistent names and addresses.
2020: Santos claims he attended Horace Mann School
In 2019 and 2020, George Santos said that as a child, he attended the Horace Mann School, an elite preparatory school in the Bronx, before withdrawing because of family hardship.
2020: MBA student loan claim
In 2020, George Santos claimed he had paid off his MBA student loans.
2020: Santos claims biracial identity
In 2020, George Santos claimed that he was biracial and that his Brazilian-born father had Angolan roots.
2020: Lost Election and Claims of Stolen Election
In 2020, George Santos lost the election by 13 percentage points and falsely claimed it was stolen from him.
2020: First Congressional Run
In 2020, George Santos ran for the U.S. House of Representatives seat for New York's 3rd congressional district but was defeated by incumbent Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi.
2020: Refusal to Accept Defeat
In 2020, George Santos refused to accept his defeat and falsely claimed that the vote totals had been manipulated.
2020: Reported net worth
In 2020, George Santos reported a net worth of $5,000 and only $50,000 from Harbor City Capital, but the House Ethics Committee later reported over $90,000 in income and exposed $80,000 in mostly fictitious loans to his campaign.
2020: President of United for Trump
In 2020, George Santos was the president of United for Trump.
2020: Initial Campaign Contributions
In 2020, George Santos's campaign received initial campaign contributions.
2020: Santos living with partner
In 2020, Santos stated he was living with a partner named Matheus Gerard.
2020: Reported Income from Devolder
In 2020, The House Ethics Committee's investigation found that Santos reported income from Devolder LLC on his 2020 income tax return, although he incorporated the LLC in May 2021.
2020: Discrepancies in Campaign Finance Reports
In 2020, discrepancies were found in George Santos's campaign finance reports. Donations to Trump's campaign and local Republican organizations were either not reported or made to nonexistent entities. A $2,000 contribution to the Nassau County Republican Committee was also not reflected on their records, raising suspicion about the accuracy of campaign finance reporting.
2020: Charitable work with EB patients claim
In his 2020 campaign online biography, George Santos claimed he and his family had worked charitably on behalf of children born with the rare genetic skin disorder epidermolysis bullosa (EB), but no one involved with EB charities had ever heard of or received contributions from him.
2020: Marks and Tiffany Santos Establish Rise NY PAC
In late 2020, after Santos lost the election to Suozzi, Marks and Tiffany Santos established a PAC called Rise NY.
January 6, 2021: Attendance at Rallies
On January 6, 2021, George Santos spoke at a "Stop the Steal" rally and attended Trump's Save America rally in Washington, D.C.
January 2021: Alleged vandalism
In January 2021, there was an alleged vandalism incident at George Santos's apartment.
April 2021: Harbor City Paid Santos Through April 2021
Harbor City paid Santos at least through April 2021.
May 2021: Incorporation of Devolder LLC and Bank Application
In May 2021, the House Ethics Committee found that Santos incorporated Devolder LLC. When applying for a business account in May 2021, he told the bank that the organization made $800,000 in net profit every year and grossed $1.5M.
July 2021: Loan to GADS PAC and Donation to Lee Zeldin
In July 2021, George Santos loaned $25,000 to GADS PAC, which then donated the same amount to Lee Zeldin's campaign the next day. This transaction raised concerns about campaign finance practices and potential coordination between Santos, GADS PAC, and Zeldin's campaign.
July 2021: Santos writes 9/11 claimed his mother's life
In July 2021, George Santos wrote that "9/11 claimed my mothers [sic] life".
August 2021: Endorsement and Fundraising
In August 2021, U.S. representative Elise Stefanik endorsed George Santos and helped him raise over $100,000 at a fundraiser.
October 2021: Santos claims mother was 'caught up in ash cloud' during 9/11
In an October 2021 interview, George Santos said his mother was "caught up in the ash cloud" during 9/11 but "never applied for relief" because the family could afford the medical bills.
November 2021: Santos claims to wed Matheus Gerard
In November 2021, Santos claimed that he wed Matheus Gerard.
November 2021: Suozzi's Announcement and Santos's Run
In November 2021, Tom Suozzi announced he would not seek reelection to Congress, and George Santos ran unopposed for the Republican nomination.
November 2021: RedStone Strategies Formed
RedStone Strategies was formed in November 2021 following complaints from the Forte campaign about Red Strategies.
December 2021: Witness Confronts Santos About Red Strategies Disclosure
In December 2021, a witness working for the Forte campaign confronted Santos about his failure to disclose his interest in Red Strategies, which he claimed he bought into in August.
2021: Intrater Learned About the Diversion
During 2021, Intrater told Mother Jones that he had only learned from them about the diversion and that Santos had told him repeatedly that contributions to Rise were being spent to build the Republican Party in New York.
2021: FEC Letters Regarding Disclosure Issues
During 2021, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) sent over 20 letters to George Santos's campaign regarding problems with its disclosure reports. Issues included contributors exceeding the $2,900 per cycle limit and insufficient information on loan terms, leading to multiple amended reports.
2021: Rise NY Rent Payments for Santos
For two months in 2021, Rise NY made Santos's $2,600 rent payments.
2021: Initial Expense Reports
George Santos' campaign filed initial expense reports. In early 2022, amended reports were filed to reflect upward adjustments to some of the expenses reported at the end of 2021.
2021: Lavish Spending on Fundraisers
In 2021, George Santos's campaign spent over $5,000 on flights and hotel stays for Republican fundraisers in Washington and West Palm Beach, Florida, even before the congressional election was near. By the end of the year, his expenses for these trips had reached $90,000, including transportation, hotels, and food, raising questions about the purpose and justification of these expenditures.
2021: Santos Recommends Red Strategies USA to Forte's Campaign
In 2021, Santos recommended that Tina Forte's campaign hire Red Strategies USA as a consultant without disclosing his own interest in the firm, leading to concerns about potential obfuscation of funds.
2021: Unauthorized Charges on Contributor's Card
In 2021, a contributor to George Santos's 2020 campaign discovered unauthorized charges totaling nearly $15,000 on their credit card, made through WinRed. Despite the contributor's decision not to continue supporting Santos, these charges were recorded, leading to refunds and scrutiny of WinRed's practices.
2021: Internal Concerns and Vulnerability Study
In 2021, concerns arose about George Santos's business practices and a vulnerability study revealed significant issues with his campaign.
2021: Unrecorded Loans and Repayments
In 2021, the House Ethics Committee found that neither George Santos's $25,000 loan to GADS PAC nor a $2,000 loan supposedly made a year later were recorded in bank records. Additionally, none of the $30,000 in repayments to Santos were actually made, with almost half the money given to another New York political committee without proper FEC reporting.
2021: Funds Diverted to Outspoken Middle East
In late 2021, over $55,000 Santos raised with the promise of registering voters was instead diverted to Outspoken Middle East, an LGBTQ news platform aimed at that region of the world.
2021: RedStone Received Payments from Forte's Campaign
Throughout 2021, RedStone received $110,000 in a series of 76 payments from Tina Forte's campaign, raising concerns about campaign finance issues.
February 2022: Campaign Spending at Casinos and Retailers
In February 2022, George Santos's campaign spending included $1,700 at two Atlantic City casinos, $1,500 at a pet store, spending on JetBlue, retailers, and the Adventureland amusement park. These expenditures were not reported to the FEC, raising concerns about the use of campaign funds.
March 2022: Alleged vandalism incident
In March 2022, George Santos told Newsday that he left Whitestone because of an alleged January 2021 vandalism incident.
April 2022: Rise NY Pays RedStone $6,000
In April 2022, the Rise NY PAC, established by Marks and Tiffany Santos, paid RedStone $6,000.
April 2022: Repayment of Loan to GADS PAC
Starting in April 2022, GADS PAC, flush with donations from George Santos supporters, repaid him the $25,000 loan in four installments over two months. This arrangement effectively allowed Santos to have his campaign contributors repay the loan, raising ethical questions about campaign finance.
May 2022: Campaign Financial Disclosure
In May 2022, Santos' campaign financial disclosure said that the company's assets were in the $1M to $1.5M range.
July 2022: Revenue Estimate for Devolder Organization
In July 2022, Dun & Bradstreet estimated Devolder Organization's revenue at less than $50,000.
July 2022: Joint Fundraising Event
In July 2022, George Santos held a joint fundraising event with Texas Representative Beth Van Duyne. The event raised $11,600, with approximately $2,000 spent on the event itself. However, discrepancies arose later when Van Duyne reported that her campaign never received its share of the funds.
July 2022: Grenell Formally Endorsed Santos
In July 2022, former ambassador Richard Grenell formally endorsed Santos.
August 2022: Moved out of Whitestone residence
In August 2022, George Santos moved out of the Whitestone residence, leaving $17,000 in damages.
September 2022: Devolder Organization Dissolution
In September 2022, Devolder Organization, George Santos's company, was dissolved in Florida for failing to file annual reports.
September 2022: Initial Media Questions
In September 2022, The North Shore Leader raised questions about George Santos's employment, financial disclosures, and claims of wealth.
November 2022: Santos elected to Congress
In November 2022, George Santos was elected to Congress.
November 2022: Claim of lost employees in Pulse shooting
In a November 2022 interview, George Santos said that his company "lost four employees" in the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting.
December 2022: Santos Says He Forgot About Unpaid Rent
As of December 2022, Santos had yet to pay the rent he owed from the 2017 eviction case, saying he "completely forgot about it".
December 2022: Santos claims his parents survived 9/11
In December 2022, George Santos claimed that his parents survived being "down there" at the World Trade Center during 9/11.
December 2022: Hamilton States Judgment Unpaid
In December 2022, Hamilton told The Times that the judgment had not been paid.
December 2022: FEC Inquiry into Potential Violations
In December 2022, the FEC wrote to Nancy Marks, then George Santos's campaign treasurer, about potential violations, including contributions from unregistered political organizations and insufficient disclosures. Santos's attorney denied any unlawful spending of campaign funds.
December 2022: Changed story about Pulse shooting
In a December 2022 interview, George Santos changed his story about the Pulse nightclub shooting, saying, "We did lose four people that were going to be coming to work for the company that I was starting up in Orlando".
December 19, 2022: NY Times reports Santos lied about biography
On December 19, 2022, after Santos had been elected to Congress but before he had taken office, The New York Times reported that he had lied about many aspects of his biography.
December 26, 2022: Santos claims to be 'Jew-ish'
During a December 26, 2022 interview, George Santos said: "I never claimed to be Jewish. I am Catholic. Because I learned my maternal family had a Jewish background, I said I was 'Jew-ish'".
December 27, 2022: RJC asserts Santos no longer welcome at events
On December 27, 2022, the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) asserted that George Santos would no longer be welcome at RJC events because he had "'deceived' the organization and 'misrepresented' his Jewish heritage".
2022: Claimed net worth increase
By 2022, George Santos claimed a net worth of $2.5 to $11 million but reported no U.S. property.
2022: RedStone Paid Santos at Least $200,000
During 2022, RedStone paid Santos at least $200,000; an October payment of $50,000 was used by Santos over the next month to spend over $4,000 at Hermés, pay for some OnlyFans subscriptions and pay his rent and credit card debts.
2022: House Ethics Committee Finds Unreported Transfers
During 2022, the House Ethics Committee, reviewing bank records for Rise, RedStone, and Santos's businesses, found "numerous unreported transfers to and from the campaign bank account".
2022: Claim of being a producer for Spider-Man
During his 2022 congressional campaign, George Santos told prospective donors that he was a producer for the musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, which was denied by the musical's lead producer.
2022: 2022 campaign debt
George Santos’s 2022 campaign reported no fundraising or spending, but its debt had increased to nearly $800,000, with $630,000 in loans claimed to be from Santos personally.
2022: Admitted to false property claim
In 2022, George Santos admitted that the claim of owning 13 rental properties in New York was false and that he owned no properties.
2022: SALT Conference Claim
In 2022, George Santos claimed that while employed at Goldman Sachs seven years earlier, he had attended the SALT Conference, but there is no record of him ever attending.
2022: Elected to Congress
In 2022, George Santos was elected as the U.S. representative for New York's 3rd congressional district, defeating Democrat Robert Zimmerman.
2022: Il Bacco as Campaign Venue
In 2022, George Santos's campaign reports indicated owing Il Bacco nearly $19,000 for its election night victory party. The campaign also reported multiple instances of spending exactly $199.99 at the restaurant, further emphasizing the significant financial connection between the campaign and the establishment.
2022: Continued Unauthorized Charges
In 2022, unauthorized charges continued on a contributor's credit card to George Santos's 2020 campaign, made through WinRed, totaling nearly $15,000. Despite the contributor's decision not to continue supporting Santos, these charges were recorded.
2022: Brain tumor claim questions unanswered
In 2022, when asked, George Santos's campaign did not give details or answer questions about his purported brain tumor.
2022: Santos calls abortion barbaric
In a 2022 speech to the Whitestone Republican Club in Whitestone, Queens, George Santos called abortion "barbaric" and compared it to slavery.
2022: Campaign Amended Reports Filed
In early 2022, George Santos' campaign filed amended reports, adjusting expenses reported at the end of 2021, including a sushi restaurant meal and Uber/taxi rides. These changes, along with subsequent amendments, raised concerns about the accuracy and transparency of the campaign's financial disclosures.
2022: $199.99 Transactions and Unitemized Expenditures
In early 2022, George Santos's amended report included 1,200 separate payments of $199.99, totaling over $250,000. By the end of the campaign, unitemized expenditures exceeded $365,000, significantly more than other members of Congress, suggesting potential cover-ups and raising concerns about compliance with federal election regulations.
2022: Charitable efforts claim changed
Sometime during 2022, George Santos's campaign changed the website so it no longer mentioned EB; the revised language said that his family's charitable efforts were directed at "helping at-risk children and America's veterans".
January 2023: False claims about Baruch College volleyball team
In January 2023, George Santos falsely claimed to a Republican Party chairman that he had been a "star player" on the Baruch volleyball team, having won the league championship and defeated Yale University, which didn't have a men's team at the time.
January 2023: Sworn into the House and Scrutiny
In January 2023, George Santos was sworn in as a member of the House but faced media scrutiny and demands for his resignation due to fabricated biography revelations.
January 2023: Rio Prosecutors Revive Fraud Charges
In January 2023, Rio de Janeiro prosecutors announced they would revive the fraud charges against Santos.
January 2023: Ethics Complaint Filed Against Santos
In January 2023, Ritchie Torres and Dan Goldman, House Democrats from New York, filed an ethics complaint with the House Ethics Committee over Santos's financial disclosure reports.
January 2023: Complaints Filed with FEC and DOJ
In January 2023, the CLC filed a complaint with the FEC, alleging that George Santos used campaign funds for personal expenses, concealed the source of $700,000 he gave his campaign, and falsified expenditures. End Citizens United (ECU) also filed separate complaints with the FEC, DOJ, and Office of Congressional Ethics, while Accountable.US filed an additional FEC complaint alleging over $100,000 in contributions over the limit, leading to scrutiny of his campaign finances.
January 2023: Fictitious Contributions Discovered
In late January 2023, Mother Jones found that many contributions to George Santos's 2020 campaign were from fictitious or nonexistent names and addresses, all given through WinRed. Donors denied having made the claimed contributions, and relatives denied having made reported donations, raising concerns about the legitimacy of his campaign funding.
January 2023: McCarthy Addresses Questions About Santos
In mid-January 2023, Kevin McCarthy addressed questions about Santos, stating he had "no idea" about the falsity of Santos's résumé when he ran, nor that Miele had posed as McCarthy's chief of staff.
January 21, 2023: Bowen Yang portrays Santos on Saturday Night Live
On January 21, 2023, Bowen Yang portrayed George Santos on Saturday Night Live.
January 24, 2023: Deadline to Correct Violations
By January 24, 2023, George Santos's campaign had a deadline to correct potential FEC violations, as outlined in the FEC's letter sent in December 2022. These violations included contributions from unregistered political organizations and insufficient disclosures, requiring the campaign to take corrective action to address the issues raised by the FEC.
February 2023: Mother Jones Reports Santos's Solicitation for Rise
At the end of February 2023, Mother Jones reported that despite no official connection to Rise, Santos regularly solicited contributions to it and in some cases personally delivered checks from it.
February 2023: Santos co-sponsors AR-15 bill
In February 2023, Santos co-sponsored a bill to designate the "AR-15-style rifle" the National Gun of the United States.
February 2023: Blaming the Republican Party
In a February 2023 Newsmax interview, George Santos blamed his résumé lies on the local Republican Party.
February 2023: Santos insists mother was at World Trade Center
In his February 2023 Piers Morgan interview, George Santos insisted his mother had been at the World Trade Center the day of the attack.
March 11, 2023: Bowen Yang reprises Santos role on Saturday Night Live
On March 11, 2023, Bowen Yang reprised his role as George Santos on Saturday Night Live, parodying the Oscars red carpet.
March 12, 2023: Jimmy Kimmel jokes about Santos at the Academy Awards
On March 12, 2023, Jimmy Kimmel joked about George Santos while hosting the 95th Academy Awards.
March 2023: $19 million yacht sale
In March 2023, George Santos reportedly brokered a $19 million yacht sale between two major campaign contributors.
March 2023: Prosecutors Announce Plea Bargain
In March 2023, prosecutors announced a plea bargain with Santos regarding the fraud charges.
April 2023: Santos campaign announces reelection bid
In April 2023, George Santos's campaign announced he would seek reelection in 2024. However, the state's Conservative and Republican Party chairs stated they would not support Santos's reelection bid.
April 2023: Van Duyne Reports Unreceived Funds
In April 2023, Representative Beth Van Duyne reported that her campaign never received its share of a joint fundraising committee (JFC) created for a fundraiser held with Santos in July 2022. The JFC reported raising $11,600, but the Van Duyne campaign stated that the money was never disbursed to them, leading to concerns about fund management and transparency.
May 2023: Santos Settles Bad Check Charges
In May 2023, Santos formally settled the bad check charges by agreeing to pay 24,000 Brazilian reais, compensating the defrauded salesman and donating to charity.
May 2023: House Democrats introduce expulsion resolution
In May 2023, after Santos was indicted on federal charges, Robert Garcia and other House Democrats introduced a resolution to expel Santos from the House.
May 2023: Ethics Committee Expanded Investigation
In May 2023, the House Ethics Committee announced that it was expanding its investigation to cover the unemployment fraud alleged in the May 2023 federal indictment of Santos.
May 2023: Santos claims DNA vindicates Jewish ancestry claim
In a May 2023 podcast, Santos claimed that his claim to Jewish ancestry was vindicated by DNA test kits; however, he did not reveal the DNA information. Santos said he was raised Catholic but considered himself a "member of the tribe" because his mother's ancestry was predominantly Jewish.
July 2023: Campaign Manager Suspects Inflated Fees
In July 2023, Forte's campaign manager suspected Red Strategies USA, partly owned by Santos, of inflating WinRed's fees in reports, with discrepancies found in Santos's campaign's use of WinRed, leaving a significant amount of funds unaccounted for.
July 2023: Campaign fundraising and refunds
In July 2023, George Santos's campaign reported raising $133,000 but refunded $85,000 to him.
July 2023: Santos's office lags behind
Roll Call reported in July 2023 that Santos's office lagged behind those of members from neighboring districts in handling constituent service requests.
August 2023: Downplaying false claims
In August 2023, George Santos downplayed the significance of the many false or exaggerated claims he had made related to his job history.
September 2023: Late financial disclosures
In September 2023, George Santos filed his personal financial disclosures 20 months late.
October 5, 2023: Marks Pleads Guilty to Campaign Finance Violations
On October 5, 2023, Marks pleaded guilty in a federal court in Long Island to numerous campaign finance violations, with a plea agreement recommending a prison sentence of 42 months to four years.
October 2023: Expulsion vote failure
Following the failure of an October 2023 vote to expel him from the House, Santos initially stated he would run again in 2024 even if expelled before the election.
October 2023: Niece Incident
In October 2023, George Santos told the Times that a few months earlier, his niece had vanished from a Queens playground, only to be found 40 minutes later in the company of two Chinese men, but investigators found no evidence to support the story.
October 2023: Superseding Indictment for Unauthorized Use of Donor Credit Cards
In October 2023, Santos faced a superseding indictment accusing him of a scheme involving unauthorized use of donor credit cards, leading to charges of aggravated identity theft and credit card fraud.
October 2023: Luxury spending and indictment
The October 2023 indictment suggests that at least $11,000 in spending on luxury items was money obtained through credit card fraud and identity theft.
November 2023: Santos promises to provide proof of Jewish ancestry
In November 2023, George Santos reportedly said that he was "finishing getting the last pieces" of evidence that his grandparents, after emigrating to Brazil, had forged documents that enabled them to "blend in and all of that".
November 2023: Funeral Home Still Owed Money for Santos' Mother's Funeral
In November 2023, Vanity Fair reported that the funeral home never received the $6,000 it was owed for its services for George Santos' mother's funeral.
November 2023: Santos reverses course, will not seek re-election
In November 2023, after the House Ethics Committee's report revealed further fraud allegations against Santos, he reversed his decision and announced he would not seek re-election.
December 1, 2023: House Votes to Expel Santos
On December 1, 2023, the House of Representatives voted to expel George Santos following an investigation by the House Ethics Committee and a federal indictment.
December 2023: Expulsion from Congress
In December 2023, George Santos was expelled from the U.S. House of Representatives, concluding his term representing New York's 3rd congressional district.
December 2023: Movie on Santos's life in development
In December 2023, it was reported that a movie on George Santos's life was in development for HBO Films.
2023: Santos attends Trump rally
In 2023, George Santos attended a rally of supporters outside the Manhattan courthouse where Donald Trump was arraigned on felony charges of falsifying business records.
2023: Vilarva Discusses Relationship
In 2023, Pedro Vilarva, who had been Santos's boyfriend at the time, told the Times that Santos claimed he was expecting money from his investment work at Citigroup, so Vilarva paid most of the bills, but Santos "never ever actually went to work".
2023: Santos supports House Republican leadership
In 2023, Santos voted in favor of the key bills supported by the House Republican leadership. After his indictment in May, House Republican leadership reiterated that they would not seek to force Santos to resign or expel him from the House.
2023: Santos votes against Fiscal Responsibility Act
In 2023, Santos was among the 71 Republicans who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House.
2023: House Democrats announce censure resolution
Later in 2023, House Democrats announced they would introduce a resolution to censure Santos. Unlike an expulsion, the measure would need only a simple majority to pass.
February 2024: Santos lashes out at former Republican colleagues
After Suozzi won the February 2024 special election to fill Santos's seat, leaving the House Republicans with an even narrower majority, Santos lashed out at his former Republican colleagues who had voted to expel him in a group text.
March 22, 2024: Santos departs Republican Party
On March 22, 2024, Santos announced his departure from the Republican Party, stating he could not affiliate himself with a party that "stands for nothing and falls for everything." He planned to continue his congressional campaign as an independent.
April 2024: Campaign debt increase
By April 2024, George Santos’s 2022 campaign reported no fundraising or spending, but its debt had increased to nearly $800,000, with $630,000 in loans claimed to be from George Santos personally.
April 23, 2024: Santos drops out of race
On April 23, 2024, George Santos officially dropped out of the race for the House in New York's 1st congressional district.
August 2024: Santos Pleads Guilty
In August 2024, George Santos pleaded guilty to identity theft and wire fraud.
2024: Santos to Challenge LaLota
During the 2024 State of the Union Address in March, Santos announced that he would run for the House in New York's 1st congressional district, challenging incumbent Republican Nick LaLota, who had long advocated for Santos's expulsion or resignation.
