Challenges Faced by George Santos: Obstacles and Turning Points
A closer look at the defining struggles that shaped George Santos's life and career.
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.
2008: Santos Forged Checks in Brazil
In 2008, Santos forged checks in Brazil to buy clothing, using the name Délio.
2010: Santos Charged with Check Fraud
In 2010, Santos was charged with check fraud in Brazil after confessing to police.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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: 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: 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.
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.
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: 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: 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.
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.
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.
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.
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: 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 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 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: 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: 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: 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 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: Blaming the Republican Party
In a February 2023 Newsmax interview, George Santos blamed his résumé lies on the local Republican Party.
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.
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: 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.
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: 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.
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.
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.
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.
