The U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of New York has added an additional ten counts of conspiracy, wire fraud, false statements, identity theft and other charges against Congressman George Santos.
The New York Republican was already facing 13-counts from a May indictment. In this latest court filing, federal prosecutors allege Santos made false statements to the Federal Election Commission and then falsified records to obstruct the FEC.
The 23-count superseding indictment also accuses the first-term Congressman of identity theft, device fraud and wire fraud.
In the scheme, prosecutors accuse Santos of running a credit card fraud scheme using his political donors' credit cards, while also allegedly attempting to scam the national Republican Party.
"Santos is charged with stealing people's identities and making charges on his own donors' credit cards without their authorization," said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace in a statement Tuesday.
This expanded indictment comes less than a week after Santos's former campaign treasurer Nancy Marks pleaded guilty to felony charges linked to her work for his campaign.
Marks faces up to five years in prison. It's not yet clear whether she has agreed to cooperate with prosecutors targeting Santos.
Santos, whose district includes part of Long Island and Queens, was first charged with federal felony crimes linked to his campaign operations in May.
He has acknowledged lying to the public about much of his personal story, fabricating his education, inventing a story about family members who escaped the Holocaust and deceiving voters about his professional career.
Santos remains a member in full standing of the Republican caucus, though he's been stripped of his committee assignments.
Santos has denied any criminal wrongdoing, and pleaded not guilty in May to the original charges. He was released on a $500,000 bond. He also faces a House ethics probe but announced he's running for re-election next year.
In a statement this week on social media, Santos said he plans to back Rep. Jim Jordan in the fight for the Speaker's gavel. Despite scandals and criminal charges, he could serve as a key vote in the bitterly divided chamber.
Santos is due back in federal court on October 27.
