New York Republican Rep. George Santos is in federal custody after turning himself in on a slew of criminal charges on Wednesday.
He is being charged with 13 counts, including wire fraud, money laundering, and theft of public funds.
Federal prosecutors accused Santos — the embattled GOP lawmaker who’s admitted to lying about his resume — of stealing supporters’ money, illegally taking unemployment payouts, and lying to Congress.
The congressman was taken into custody in Melville on Long Island, before being transported to a federal courthouse in Central Islip, per CNN.
Santos is expected to appear in court later on Wednesday.
If convicted, prosecutors said, he faces up to 20 years in prison on the most serious charge.
Santos has for months faced numerous calls — from many constituents within his 3rd Congressional District to a slew of local Republican leaders and neighboring GOP members of Congress — to resign from office over the repeated fabrications related to everyting from his previous places of employment to his education background.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California, in response to questions over whether he’d call on the freshman congressman to step down, has previously said Santos was elected by his constiuents and that his political fate would be largely be in the hands of the House Ethics Committee.
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.
