George Santos Controversy: Federal, County Prosecutors Launch Probe on Republican Lawmaker's Financial Disclosures

Republican Rep.-elect George Santos is currently facing a probe as federal prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney's office for the Eastern District of New York investigate his finances and financial disclosures, according to a source with knowledge of the matter.

CBS News reported that the Republican district attorney for Nassau County is also reviewing Santos' alleged embellishments on his resume. However, they have not detailed which part of it they are looking at.

Santos recently admitted to lying on his resume, particularly about his employment history, educational background, and even his heritage.

Despite admitting to falsifying some aspects of his resume, Santos said he still plans to take his seat in the House of Representatives in January.

Fellow Republican Rep.-elect Nick LaLota called for the investigation of Santos by the House Ethics Committee and possibly by law enforcement.

Probe on New York Rep.-Elect George Santos

Nassau County, New York District Attorney Anne Donnelly, said in a statement that the "numerous fabrications and inconsistencies" of George Santos are "nothing short of stunning."

Donnelly added that no one is above the law and will continue prosecuting the matter if a crime was committed in Nassau County.

Santos' personal biography was recently removed from his campaign website after the reports of embellishing his resume were released.

He had also removed his claim that he had received a degree from Baruch College. Santos had also claimed that he had studied at New York University on another profile of him on House Republicans' campaign committee website.

His claim of having studied at New York University was also removed. Santos also removed a reference to his previous philanthropic efforts after he claimed that he had founded and run a tax-exempt charity, Friends of Pets United.

The Internal Revenue Service and the New York and New Jersey attorney general's offices noted that they found no records of a registered Friends of Pets United charity.

George Santos' Financial Disclosures

In his 2020 financial disclosure, George Santos claimed to have no assets or earned income. It also showed that he lent his 2022 campaign and political action committee at least $600,000.

Santos' 2022 form showed millions' worth of assets, with more than $1 million coming from the Devolder Organization.

The Rep.-elect's campaign website once said the company managed $80 million in assets. In a radio interview, he said that the loan to his campaign came from the Devolder Organization.

A financial data company, Dun & Bradstreet, noted that the company had a revenue of only $43,988 as of July 2022 based on its data modeling. In 2021 and 2022, Santos reported an annual salary of $750,000.

Communications director of government watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, Jordan Libowitz, said there are strict rules regarding how candidates can back up their campaigns.

Libowitz notes that candidates can support their own campaigns however they like, but it has to be their own money. The watchdog director added that Santos cannot make a corporation funnel money through his campaign.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: New York Rep.-elect George Santos Facing Federal, County Investigations - From CBS Evening News