George Santos reaches deal with Brazilian prosecutors to remove criminal charges
Brady Knox
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Rep. George Santos (R-NY) reached a deal with Brazilian prosecutors to remove criminal charges obtained when he was 19.
Santos, 34, was accused by prosecutors of using stolen checks to buy $1,300 worth of goods at a Brazilian clothing store in 2008. The embattled representative agreed to compensate the alleged victim, in addition to an undisclosed additional payout, in return for the charges being dropped, the Wall Street Journal reported. The deal comes one day after Santos pleaded not guilty to 13 criminal charges in the United States.
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A statement from a Rio de Janeiro court said that Santos has one month to fulfill his obligations to void the charges. Brazilian press reported that the undisclosed amount he is set to pay to settle the case amounts to roughly $4,850.
Unfortunately for Santos, the relatively minor Brazilian charges are completely unrelated to his recent 13-count indictment in the U.S., for which he could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
In the U.S., Santos is being charged with 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, the Department of Justice announced Tuesday.
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“Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself. He used political contributions to line his pockets, unlawfully applied for unemployment benefits that should have gone to New Yorkers who had lost their jobs due to the pandemic, and lied to the House of Representatives,” Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace said in a statement.
Santos plans to fight the charges and decried the indictment on Twitter as a “WITCH HUNT!”
https://twitter.com/Santos4Congress/status/1656382869915291658?s=20