Congressman George Santos indicted on multiple counts

Commentary/News with a Twist

Seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of lying to the House of Representatives on financial forms.

But the real question: Who posted his $500,000 bail? Read on to find out.

The Washington Post reported:

Rep. George Santos, the freshman Republican congressman whose myriad falsehoods became both a scandal and a national punchline, was charged with a host of financial crimes in court papers unsealed Wednesday, including defrauding his donors, using their money for his personal benefit and wrongly claiming unemployment benefits.

Santos, 34, surrendered to federal authorities in the morning at the Alfonse M. D’Amato Federal Courthouse in this hamlet on Long Island. The freshman congressman, who announced his reelection bid last month, was arraigned before a magistrate judge, told to relinquish his passport and ordered released on $500,000 bond.

His lawyer, Joe Murray, told reporters after the proceeding that he wants to meet with prosecutors and “share what we’ve learned and what we have. We have information that I think they would be interested to see.” [Gee, I wonder what they learned and who should be worried? Or did Santos hire a ‘kindred spirit’…another pathological liar…as his attorney?]

Appearing before a scrum of reporters and cameras outside the courthouse, Santos dismissed the investigation of his activities as…[wait for it, wait for it]…“a witch hunt.”

“I am going to fight my battle, I am going to deliver,” he said. “I am going to take care of clearing my name, and I look forward to doing that.”

Santos faces seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of lying to the House of Representatives on financial forms. Wire fraud, the most serious charge, carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison. If Santos is found guilty of multiple counts, a judge would decide whether he should serve his sentences concurrently or consecutively.

Some of the details in the nearly 20-page indictment — about Santos’s dealings with would-be donors and false statements on his ethics disclosures — had been revealed in earlier reporting. But the alleged unemployment fraud is new.

According to prosecutors, Santos falsely claimed to have been unemployed in summer 2020 when he applied for benefits through the New York State Department of Labor. He continued to falsely certify his unemployment through the following spring, prosecutors alleged, and received more than $24,000 in benefits funded by the U.S. Treasury Department as part of expanded social programs introduced by Congress in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Santos was ineligible for the benefits, according to the indictment, which states that he was employed as a regional director for a Florida investment firm during that period. The firm goes unnamed in the indictment, but its details match those of a company called Harbor City Capital, which was forced to shut down in 2021 after the Securities and Exchange Commission called it a “classic Ponzi scheme.”

“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,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement. “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.”

But who posted Santos’ bail?

Of course the big question requiring disclosure is, who posted the $500,000 cash bond that allowed Santos to be released?

Sources from the Santos team have hinted that three individuals posted the bond. Based on that “hint,” speculation immediately focussed on three GOP colleagues, given that the Republican House caucus desperately needs Santos’ vote to help maintain its slim majority. The three most mentioned contributors? House speaker Kevin McCarthy; McCarthy’s boss and hostage holder, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green (R-Ga); and Republican National Committee chairwoman (and Romney family black sheep) Ronna Romney McDaniel.

While there was some talk that Clarence Thomas’ sugar daddy, Harlan Crow, might have been a contributor, Crow associates have suggested that he’s only interested in spending his fortune on packing SCOTUS with Crow-favorable justices.

But if not these, then who?

In an exhaustive investigation, Around the Block has uncovered the real source of the Santos largesse.

George Soros!

A Soros confidant, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Around the Block:

“Frankly, Mr. Soros has been very hurt by the fact that every time a liberal or progressive or left of center investigation occurs, the story is prefaced with allegations that the prosecution is, “George Soros-funded” or “Soros-backed.” He’s even been given the epithet, “Puppet-Master Soros.” From Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s indictment of Donald Trump to yesterday’s accusation that the jury that ruled in favor of E. Jean Carroll over Donald Trump in her sexual harassment/defamation law suit was funded by Soros, Mr. Soros has determined that he needed to do something to “level the playing field.” And, he thought, what better way to do that than posting bail for a mieskeit* like George Santos.

*(Mieskeit is a Yiddish term for someone who is ugly, but it can also mean a despicable, repulsive individual)

“After all,” our source continued, “despite all his lies, Santos did claim Jewish heritage. Mr. Soros felt that if there’s even a germ of truth to this claim, the least he could do is to assist a possible co-religionist in trouble.”

“There is one more thing, however,” suggested the Soros confidant. “Mr. Soros is frankly sick and tired of news anchors and talking heads, when speaking about ‘George Santos,’ often refer to this deviant as ‘George Soros.’ In making this rather small contribution…I mean what is $500,000 to George Soros anyway…it might serve as a way to put a stop to this heinous confusion.”