It is also alleged that he participated in a scheme that involved falsely reporting to the Federal Election Commission that at least 10 members of his family made significant contributions to his campaign, although that was false.
The 35-year-old representative of Latin origin appeared this Friday in court in Central Islip, New York, for the reading of the 10 additional charges that prosecutors revealed in a superseding indictment earlier this month.
During the procedure, District Judge Joanna Seybert set September 9, 2024 as the date for the start of the Santos trial, although the parties had requested the months of May or June to start the process.
Santos’ next court appearance was scheduled for December 12, according to court documents.
Santos has been the subject of controversy since he entered the Capitol because in January he admitted that during his campaign he lied about his resume.
Prosecutors originally charged the House member in May with 13 counts related to, among others, defrauding donors and fraudulently receiving unemployment benefits, to all of which he has also pleaded not guilty.
This assertion by the congressman that he is innocent comes as pressure increases from his colleagues in the Lower House for him to resign.
A group of New York Republicans presented an initiative aimed at forcing Santos’ resignation and removing him from office.
Representative Anthony D’Esposito filed the measure as a privileged resolution, requiring a floor vote to be scheduled within two legislative days.
In this way, the vote should be held on Wednesday of next week as soon as members of the chamber return to Washington.
It will be the second time in about five months that the House of Representatives has acted on a resolution to remove him from the Ethics Committee.
“I will fight this to prove my innocence,” a defiant Santos told reporters at the Capitol earlier this month.
The well-known congressman assured that a case like his “so high-profile” was to be expected to be politically convenient.
“I’m not trying to say that it is a political persecution, but it does have political benefits,” he stressed then.
The representative, from Central Islip, was elected in the November 2022 elections for the New York county of Suffolk (Long Island).
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