BIG TROUBLE

George Santos’ Terrible Month Gets Worse as Brazil Resurrects Fraud Case: NYT

Brazilian prosecutors suspended their case when they couldn't find George Santos. Then he ran for Congress.

Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to run for Congress, after all. Brazilian fraud charges against George Santos—the U.S. representative-elect accused of fabricating just about every element of his backstory—will be resurrected now that authorities have confirmed his location, according to The New York Times. In 2008, when he was just 19 years old, Santos allegedly bought almost $700 in merchandise at a store in Brazil “using a stolen checkbook and a false name.” Prosecutors pursued a fraud case, but it was halted after he left for the United States and local authorities weren't able to find him. With his swearing-in scheduled for Tuesday, that will no longer be an issue. Santos insisted to the New York Post late last month that he is not a criminal “here or in Brazil or any jurisdiction in the world.” His attorney told the Times that he is “in the process of engaging local counsel to address this alleged complaint.”