Police in Brazil have reopened a felony case right into a US politician about to be sworn into Congress, after his election drew prosecutors’ consideration to his whereabouts.
He is accused of stealing the chequebook from an aged and infirm man in his mom’s care, then occurring a $1000 spending spree at a clothes retailer in 2008.
The Rio de Janeiro prosecutor’s workplace introduced a proper request will probably be made by way of the US Justice Department to inform Santos of the fees.
If he doesn’t seem in Brazilian court docket, he might be tried in absentia.
He may resist 5 years in jail if discovered responsible.
There is not any mechanism to cease a congressman-elect from taking workplace if duly elected.
A two-thirds vote of the House of Representatives could be wanted as a way to expel him from workplace, one thing which has solely occurred twice because the Civil War.
Even if he’s discovered responsible of the crime, it doesn’t imply he’s routinely expelled.
What did George Santos lie about?
Santos additionally claimed his mom was a trailblazing monetary government who died on account of the September 11 assaults.
Her mates described her as a prepare dinner and cleaner who died in 2016.
Santos was swept into workplace in a suburban New York district, touting his business credentials and heritage because the grandchild of Holocaust survivors.
It has since been revealed his grandparents had been Brazilian Catholics and two Wall Street companies he claimed to work for had no document of him as an worker.
He additionally lied about being a university graduate, attending a high preparatory college and having a Belgian mom.
In one other occasion, the overtly homosexual man claimed he had “never had an issue with my sexual identity in the past decade” however solely three years earlier, he had been married to a lady.
In 2020, he claimed he had no belongings.
In 2022, he claimed to have a web price of as a lot as $17 million from a business that doesn’t seem to have any net presence.
He additionally claimed to have run an animal welfare charity known as Friends of Pets United.
But the group was by no means registered as a charity.
He held at the least one fundraiser for an animal rescue charity, however the beneficiary claimed Santos by no means donated the cash.
Santos causes chaos in Washington
Members of his personal celebration have known as for an ethics investigation into Santos.
And two different New York representatives have introduced a bit of laws known as the Stop Another Non-Truthful Office Seeker Act.
That identify may be abbreviated to SANTOS.
But the Republican Party management has been silent on whether or not Santos ought to take workplace.
At current, high Republican Kevin McCarthy wants 218 votes to be elected speaker this week, that means he can solely lose the assist of 5 members of his celebration.
At current, 9 conservative Republicans have introduced their hesitation or outright opposition to McCarthy being elected as speaker.