George Santos confesses to theft in Brazil to avoid prosecution

Santos virtually appeared at a criminal court hearing Thursday afternoon in the Rio suburb of Niteroi, during which he was given 30 days to pay a fine of about $2,000 and about $2,800 to the victim. . Court officials said the lawsuit would not be dismissed until the payment was made.

“The lawsuit ended today,” Santos attorney Jonimar Vasconcelos said in a short interview. “My client is no longer charged with any crime in Brazil.”

The deal frees the 34-year-old Santos from criminal prosecution in two countries. A first-term congressman who announced his candidacy for re-election last month was indicted Wednesday in the Eastern District of New York.

Santos, who has vowed not to resign, has been accused of a wide range of financial crimes, including misappropriating donations for personal gain and fraudulently claiming unemployment benefits.

Brazil’s incidents have never been so serious.

Santos, then 19, entered a small clothing store called Salt in Niteroi in 2008 and wrote two checks worth $430 for clothing and shoes, according to court documents. ing. The merchant immediately went to the police and filed a report, leading to criminal charges of embezzlement against Santos.

“I remember having to pay that amount out of my own pocket,” merchant Carlos Bruno Simones told Folha de São Paulo last year.

Simones attended Thursday’s hearing, which lasted less than 30 minutes. He said he was disappointed with how little Santos had to pay him.

“He got off very cheaply,” he said.

In the United States, the financial crimes against which Santos is charged are far more serious. Wire fraud, the most serious offense, carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, but experts said it was unlikely that such a heavy sentence would be imposed.

“It will take 24 to 48 months,” said Chris Mattei, former head of the Connecticut District Attorney’s Office’s Financial Fraud and Public Corruption Division.

Given the size of the financial loss brought about by the fraud, which Mattei estimates to be about $75,000, Mr. Santos is unlikely to spend decades in prison. said that it meant But the prosecution against the senator is strong, said a former federal prosecutor who said, “I think he’s in a very tight spot.”

Santos was released Wednesday after surrendering his passport and posting $500,000 bail in federal court on Long Island. He needs permission to travel beyond New York and Washington. On Twitter, he echoed the words of former President Donald Trump, who was also recently indicted in New York, calling the proceedings a “witch hunt.” And Santos asked for donations to the Election Commission, stating, “Keep fighting for you!”

Asked on Thursday why he received about $24,000 in unemployment benefits that prosecutors said he was ineligible for, he dodged questions in the Capitol, saying only, “That’s inaccurate.” answered.

In addition to the New York federal lawsuit, Santos also faces an investigation by the House Ethics Committee. The commission announced in March that it was investigating a number of allegations of past commercial practices, campaign spending and alleged sexual misconduct by Republican lawmakers.

Stanley Becker reported from Washington. Mariana Alfaro of Washington contributed to this report.