George Santos Says Reports He'll Be Criminally Charged Are 'News to Me'

Embattled New York Representative George Santos will reportedly face federal charges in his state, according to several media reports featuring sources familiar with the matter.

The Associated Press (AP) reported that the charges filed in the Eastern District of New York remain under seal. The nature of the charges is unclear at this time.

CNN, who was the first to report about the charges, said that the congressman is expected to appear in federal court as soon as Wednesday.

When reached for a brief phone interview with AP, Santos told the outlet, "This is news to me."

"You're the first to call me about this," he added.

CBS News correspondent Matt Pieper later reported that Santos is expected to be arrested on Wednesday and will be charged by the Department of Justice (DOJ). Newsweek was not able to independently verify the reports.

Newsweek has reached out to Santos' congressional office via email for comment.

The freshman congressman quickly stirred controversy after a report from The New York Times in December said that Santos' resume was "largely fictional" while he ran for office in the fall. Fabrications of his background include details about his past education, work experience and questions about his heritage.

Santos later admitted to some of his embellishments in an interview with the New York Post, setting off a chain reaction of ethics complaints and calls for the Republican to resign, including fellow members of the GOP and constituents in his congressional district.

Less than a month after being sworn into office, Santos also found himself facing three different criminal investigations tied to alleged campaign violations, including a probe by the FBI over allegations that the congressman had been involved in a GoFundMe campaign and took the money that was raised for a disabled U.S. Navy veteran's service dog.

The DOJ also previously indicated that it was looking into Santos' campaign finances, The Washington Post previously reported, as well as prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York, according to a report in December from the Times.

In January, the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center (CLC) filed a complaint to the Federal Election Commission against Santos for what it said was a "tasting menu of campaign finance law violations."

CLC senior researcher Roger Wieand said that the complaint included allegations that Santos had "concealed the true sources of his campaign's funding," "misrepresented" campaign spending and "illegally paid for personal expense with his campaign's funds."

Santos has repeatedly denounced calls for his resignation despite the allegations, and last month announced plans for his reelection to Congress in 2024.