An Associated Press report  provided an update on the federal charges against  New York's Republican congressman,  the son of Brazilian immigrants, George Santos.  The act gained great repercussions not only from the American media, but also from the Brazilian media.

Santos has been charged with 11 counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making false statements to the House of Representatives. The charges stem from allegations that Santos misled donors and misrepresented his finances to the public and government agencies.

Santos pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to charges that he deceived donors, stole funds from his campaign and lied to Congress about being a millionaire while cheating to receive unemployment benefits he didn't deserve.

He later said he would not give up his re-election bid and defied calls to resign.  He was released on $500,000  bail and was required to surrender his passport and firearms, according to another Associated Press story.

The top charge of wire fraud carries a maximum jail time of 20 years. The judge can decide to make any sentences run concurrently if Santos is convicted on multiple counts.

“This indictment seeks to hold Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement. “Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself. He used political contributions to line his pockets, unlawfully applied for unemployment benefits that should have gone to New Yorkers who had lost their jobs due to the pandemic and lied to the House of Representatives”.

According to a report in The Hill, “The New York Republican has been the subject of intense scrutiny since before he was sworn in amid questions about his resume and biography. A number of entities are said to be looking into him, in addition to the House Ethics Committee, which launched an investigation in March”.