Rise to Success: Career Highlights of George Santos
From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how George Santos made an impact.
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.
2005: Citigroup's asset management division sale
In 2005, Citigroup sold its asset management division, before George Santos's claimed period of employment.
October 2011: Started at Dish Network
In October 2011, George Santos began working as a customer service representative at Dish Network.
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.
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.
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: 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.
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.
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: MBA student loan claim
In 2020, George Santos claimed he had paid off his MBA student loans.
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: Initial Campaign Contributions
In 2020, George Santos's campaign received initial campaign contributions.
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: 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.
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.
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.
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.
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: 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: 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: 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.
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.
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.
September 2022: Devolder Organization Dissolution
In September 2022, Devolder Organization, George Santos's company, was dissolved in Florida for failing to file annual reports.
November 2022: Santos elected to Congress
In November 2022, George Santos was elected to Congress.
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.
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: 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: 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.
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: 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 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: 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.
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: 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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
