Running for Congress is hard work, so Rep. Long Islander George Santos has splashed his campaign cash on dubious pleasures — including OnlyFans subscriptions, Botox and spa treatments, a scathing House ethics report confirms.
The 35-year-old Republican siphoned off cash meant to help him get elected to treat himself to the facility through a “complex web” of moves, the House Ethics Committee said Thursday.
Here’s a detailed look at how some of that money was spent.
‘I need help’
The most interesting findings in the report dated October 2022, a few days before Santos was elected to represent New York’s Third District.
At the time, a representative from Florida-based RedStone Strategies – where Santos had been “managing director” since January – emailed two of Santos’ contributors asking them for money.
George Santos made many eyebrow-raising purchases, including from Only Fans, an ethics report shows.AP
Santos also hit up one of the donors personally, the report said, telling them: “I need outside help for next week on TV … Can I have someone outside give you a buzz? Can you help me?”
Each donor sent $25,000 to RedStone — but instead of going for TV ads, the money went into Santos’ bank account, from where it was used, the committee said, “to pay personal credit card bills and other debts; make a $4,127.80 purchase at Hermes; and for smaller purchases at Only Fans [sic]; Sephora; and for eating and for parking.”
In March, Santos denied any knowledge of OnlyFans — a subscription service where users can pay for X-rated photos and videos of models.
And we have Santos talking about Fans Only on Fox Biz: “I just discovered what Fans Only is three weeks ago” when it’s brought up in his office. “I wasn’t aware of the whole concept.”
Also, the author’s comment at the end ? https://t.co/jQuwnnpT2w
— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) November 16, 2023
“I’ll spoil you with this, I only found out what Only Fans was three weeks ago when it came up in a discussion in my office,” Santos told Fox Business Network in response to rumors that he had an OnlyFans page.
“I wasn’t aware of the whole concept,” he added, to the disbelief of FBN host Lisa Kennedy Montgomery
“Ah, you can’t tell the truth,” Montgomery muttered under his breath.
In total, Santos was paid at least $200,000 by RedStone Strategies in 2022, according to the report.
At one point, the then-candidate justified the $6,000 payment by telling an aide: “This is for an ad we were supposed to pay for and I forgot.”
George Santos, allegedly in drag under the name ‘Kitara Ravache.’
“Prior to the $6,000 transfer, Representative Santos’ personal checking account had a balance of $136.93.148 … after the funds were deposited, $5,000 was withdrawn and the personal credit card balance was paid,” the report said.
Investigators also noted that during Santos’ unsuccessful House 2020 run, the campaign’s debit card made a $1,500 purchase at Mirza Aesthetics.
“[T]his expenses are not reported to [Federal Election Commission] and was noted as ‘Botox’ in the expense spreadsheet produced for [investigators] by [2020 campaign treasurer Nancy] Score,” the report said.
In February 2021, the Santos campaign paid $1,029.30 via PayPal to an esthetician linked to a spa in Rinebeck, NY, while in July 2022, the campaign dropped $1,400 at the Virtual Skin Spa in Jericho, NY — which Marks also labeled “Botox” in his spreadsheet.
Santos jet setting
The House ethics committee also noted that the Santos 2022 campaign had incurred “substantial travel expenses for flights, hotels, Uber and food.”
The scandal-plagued congressman initially said he planned to run again but following the report, George Santos said he would not. CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Several witnesses gave conflicting accounts of how far Santos traveled. One witness recalled the lawmaker justifying the expense by describing the meal as “a donor dinner or a constituent dinner or, you know, a perspective donor dinner.”
However, other witnesses told investigators Santos travels outside the Third District “once a month,” while a second skeptic said they were “concerned about the appearance of a campaign that spends all this money on … all these dinners and trips.”
The Office of Congressional Ethics cited several expenses as potentially problematic, including $2,281.52 at a resort in Atlantic City in July 2022, a period when the calendar was largely empty. A former staffer told investigators that she “didn’t recall ‘any kind of fundraising or campaigning in Atlantic City,’ but did remember that Representative Santos told her that she liked to visit casinos to play roulette, often with her husband.”
Protesters have called on George Santos to step down. Kevin C. Downs for the NY Post
A few weeks earlier, the ethics committee noted that Santos had spent $3,332.81 on Airbnb, when the campaign calendar stated he “stopped at [the] Hampton’s [sic] for the weekend.”
At some point in December 2021, when Santos told staff he was on his honeymoon, taxi and hotel charges were made to the campaign’s credit card, the report alleges.
Paperwork problem
Santos’ Federal Election Commission filings are allegedly riddled with errors and omissions that the scandal-hit congressman used for personal use.
For example, in 2021, his campaign reported 40 withdrawals that were either $199 or $200, but investigators were unable to “verify the validity of those expenditures.”
In November of last year, Santos’ campaign transferred $20,000 to his consulting firm Devolder Organization LLC.
The ethics report details how George Santos made his luxury purchases — as he is seen here carrying shopping bags from luxury brand Hermes.Stephen Yang
The money was then used to make $6,000 worth of purchases at the Ferragamo store, as well as pay Santos’ rent. Another $800 in cash was withdrawn near the casino, and another $1,000 was withdrawn from an ATM near Santos’ apartment, according to the report.
Investigators also documented various campaign transfers to accounts such as Marks and RISE, a New York political action committee managed by the lawmaker’s sister, Tiffany Santos.
The transfers reached tens of thousands, according to the report.
Fake loan
Santos claims to have loaned his campaign about $800,000 during both the 2020 and 2022 election cycles, filings with the FEC show.
However, an investigative subcommittee of the House Ethics Committee concluded that “most reported personal loans were not actually made or properly disclosed to the FEC.”
The panel found that there was no evidence that five of the six loans reported during the Santos 2020 campaign were ever made.
The report shows how five of the six loans made to the Santos campaign appear to be bogus. ISC report on Santos
The loan helped make his campaign finances look better than ever. For example, in a July 15, 2020 filing, Santos reported $73,355.64 in cash on hand, but may have only $13,761.88, according to the report.
During his 2022 campaign, Santos reported three major loans, but for two of them – totaling $500,000 and $80,000 respectively – the panel again found no evidence that they were actually made.
Prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York, who slapped Santos with 23 counts, have taken notice of the allegedly fraudulent $500,000 loan.
A similar phenomenon occurred in the George Santos 2022 campaign. ISC report on Santos
They assumed that it helped him qualify for a program that would give him additional support from the Republican Party.
Both prosecutors and ethics investigators claim Santos doesn’t actually have that kind of money in his bank account and only has $8,000.
“Oh, I made a $500,000 loan,” Santos assured CNN earlier this month. “I can guarantee you that I made a financial loan for my campaign that is on record.”
Investigators further alleged that Santos was “improperly reimbursed for loans that were not made,” meaning the bogus loans allegedly gave him an excuse to siphon money from his campaign coffers.
George Santos has survived at least two deportation attempts. CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images
Reason, reason
Santos has blamed numerous honest mistakes and misconduct by Marks.
But ethics investigators were unconvinced and emphasized that staff claimed to have expressed concerns about the bookkeeping to Santos.
“The [investigative subcommittee] not swayed by Representative Santos’ attempts to blame others. He is the main beneficiary,” the report said.
Prosecutors also accused Santos of using the donor’s credit card for personal expenses.
When pressed on the matter earlier this month, Santos said he planned to compensate them.
“A lot of that happened in our campaign. And when people say, ‘Oh, I’ve been charged,’ we’ll reimburse them. It is in the report to the best of my knowledge,” Santos told CNN.
Six Republicans from New York led a recent and unsuccessful effort to boot George Santos. Getty Images
Members of the panel’s investigative subcommittee spent months combing through thousands of records and interviewing witnesses to investigate Santos.
Following the major report, Santos denounced the panel, accusing it of bias and announced that he would no longer seek re-election.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
