Rep. George Santos is now in federal custody, according to a spokesperson for the Eastern District of New York.
CNN is reporting that Santos was taken into custody in Melville, Long Island, where the FBI is housed, a law enforcement. From there, he was taken to the courthouse in Central Islip.
The charges include 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.
Santos is expected to appear in court as soon as this afternoon.
Democrats and Republicans have called on Santos to resign over allegations ranging from criminal behavior on the campaign trail to petty personal dishonesty stretching back more than a decade.
Democrats are attempting to shake off the embarrassment of not exposing Santos sooner ahead of what promises to be an expensive race to win back his and other neighboring seats in 2024.
New York Rep. Daniel Goldman, a former federal prosecutor and counsel in Trump’s first impeachment, said in a statement,
Now that Santos has been indicted, it is incumbent on Speaker Kevin McCarthy to eliminate the stain of Santos on this hallowed institution by removing him from Congress immediately.
We cannot wait any longer.”
Meanwhile, New York Republicans have sought to distance themselves from Santos, insisting they knew NOTHING about his shadowy past, with some also urging him to resign.
.@ABC NEWS SPECIAL REPORT: New York Rep. George Santos is in custody and charged with 13 counts, including wire fraud and money laundering. https://t.co/u0lVjpeRQ0 https://t.co/gGOubRrxzX
— ABC News (@ABC) May 10, 2023
