Rep. George Santos (R-NY; photo, left), aka Anthony Devolder, is secretive about his personal finances and where he got the $700,000 he loaned to his campaign (see story here).
He would have good reason to be, if his “business” activities were a criminal enterprise, and those funds were proceeds of crime.
That’s what his former roommate and confederate-in-crime alleges in a sworn declaration (see it here) a lawyer forwarded to the FBI, Secret Service, and a federal prosecutor on Tuesday, March 7, 2023 (read story here).
The ex-roommate, Gustavo Ribeiro Trelha, spent 7 months in jail before being deported to Brazil in 2018 after pleading guilty to a felony for his involvement in a credit card skimming scheme that targeted ATMs in Seattle (see story here). In his sworn declaration, Trelha claims Santos masterminded the scheme.
Trelha said, “Santos taught me how to skim card information and how to clone cards. He gave me all the material and taught me how to put skimming devices and cameras on ATM machines.” He also said Santos kept blank ATM and credit cards, printers, and other materials in an Orlando, Florida, warehouse.
Skimmers are clandestine devices (see photo below) that crooks install on ATM machines, gas pumps, and credit card readers to steal the cardholder’s account information.
Santos denied the allegations, sought to distance himself from Trelha, and claimed he cooperated with authorities, CNN reported on Friday, March 10, 2023 (read story here).
Politico says (here) that Santos was “questioned about the Seattle scheme by investigators for the U.S. Secret Service …. He was never charged, but the investigation remains open.” With police on his trail, Santos turned informant and gave Trelha to the cops. He also stole his bail money, leaving Trelha to rot in jail, which likely explains why Trelha is coming forward now.
Santos has been accused of other dishonest schemes, including kiting bad checks to Amish people, and stealing donations to save a veteran’s sick dog.
Santos told a Seattle judge at Trelha’s bail hearing that he was an “aspiring politician,” and Santos was elected to Congress in New York in 2022. That’s increasingly looking like a foolhardy move, because it called attention to his fake resume and exposure of those lies has led to scrutiny of his “business” dealings.
His antics also have put GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on the spot, because McCarthy needs his vote, which has forced him to sacrifice ethical considerations to save Santos’ seat. But Republicans already have massive reputational problems, so one may wonder how much more damage the party can suffer by turning a blind eye to Santos’ shenanigans.
That’s a calculation McCarthy apparently has already made.
