WHAT LIES AHEAD FOR GEORGE SANTOS?

tions under their own name but using a third party’s funds, violates this rule. During the 2022 election cycle, Santos loaned his own campaign $705,000 after reporting an income of $55,000 and no significant assets over $5,000 in 2020. He claims that the funds came from his earnings through the Devolder Organization, which brokers the sale of “luxury items” such as yachts and planes.

He also claims that he earns a 1-2% commission on these multi-million-dollar contracts, yet never reported the clients for which he performed such brokerage services, despite this being required by the House Ethics Committee. It is implausible that Santos was able to campaign for the House while making millions of dollars through a brand-new brokerage business.

Therefore, it is reasonable to suspect that the source of the $705,000 was not Devolder Organization’s business activities, but rather third parties who funneled contributions into the campaign through the organization. This third party could be individuals, corporations, or foreign nationals.

The latter two are explicitly prohibited from contributing towards federal campaigns, while other individuals cannot make contributions under Santos’ name. In any case, this constitutes a significant violation that could lead to criminal charges under 52 U.S.C. § 30109.

There is sufficient information to conclude that George Santos’ campaign knowingly falsified the source of the campaign’s funding by disguising outside contributions as Santos’ personal fortune, and failed to truthfully disclose where the funds were disbursed. Coupled with the misappropriation of funds to cover rent, Santos and his campaign could see significant civil and criminal liabilities pursuant to 52 U.S.C. § 30109. Regardless of what lies ahead for Santos, the fact that he was elected to Congress under a shroud of blatant fraud, reveals serious shortfalls of the campaign process for public office.