George Santos admitted to using stolen checkbook in Brazil, report says
Rep.-elect George Santos (R-N.Y.) allegedly admitted to using a stolen checkbook in Brazil in 2008, CNN reported Wednesday.
According to a series of Brazilian police documents obtained by the outlet, Santos confessed to stealing a man's checkbook that was in his mother's possession. He then allegedly admitted to using the checkbook to purchase clothing at a shop outside Rio de Janeiro. In the police documents, officials reportedly said that Santos used a fake ID with the real checkbook owner's name and a picture of himself.
"[Santos] acknowledged having been responsible for forging the signatures on the checks, also confirming that he had destroyed the remaining checks," authorities wrote in one of the reports, per CNN. This document reporting the confession was allegedly signed by Santos himself in 2010.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Santos was eventually charged with fraud related to the use of the checkbook.
While Brazilian authorities have been unable to locate Santos in the years since the alleged crime, his election to Congress seems to have re-ignited their investigation. A spokesperson for the Rio de Janeiro prosecutor's office told CNN in a separate statement that they will make a formal request to the U.S. Justice Department to notify Santos of the charges.
The Brazilian development is just the latest in a laundry list of alleged falsehoods and lies undertaken by Santos during his campaign for Congress. He has admitted to fabricating multiple stints at college and employment at major Wall Street firms. He has additionally claimed, among other things, that his mother died during the Sept. 11 attacks and that his grandparents were Holocaust survivors, both of which have been shown to be false.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.
-
Donald Trump’s squeeze on VenezuelaIn Depth The US president is relying on a ‘drip-drip pressure campaign’ to oust Maduro, tightening measures on oil, drugs and migration
-
US citizens are carrying passports amid ICE fearsThe Explainer ‘You do what you have to do to avoid problems,’ one person told The Guardian
-
CBS pulls ‘60 Minutes’ report on Trump deporteesSpeed Read An investigation into the deportations of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador’s notorious prison was scrapped
-
Trump administration posts sliver of Epstein filesSpeed Read Many of the Justice Department documents were heavily redacted, though new photos of both Donald Trump and Bill Clinton emerged
-
Trump HHS moves to end care for trans youthSpeed Read The administration is making sweeping proposals that would eliminate gender-affirming care for Americans under age 18
-
Jack Smith tells House of ‘proof’ of Trump’s crimesSpeed Read President Donald Trump ‘engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election,’ hoarded classified documents and ‘repeatedly tried to obstruct justice’
-
House GOP revolt forces vote on ACA subsidiesSpeed Read The new health care bill would lower some costs but not extend expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies
-
Hegseth rejects release of full boat strike footageSpeed Read There are calls to release video of the military killing two survivors of a Sept. 2 missile strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat



