A conversation with a Brazilian congressman about stealing a man’s checkbook and leaving his mother for a new office: CNN investigations of the case of George Santos
Republican Rep.-elect George Santos admitted to stealing a man’s checkbook that was in his mother’s possession to purchase clothing and shoes in 2008, according to documents obtained by CNN.
In regards to the fraud charges in Brazil being reinstated against him,Santos did not comment, nor did he answer a number of questions about his biography, whether he misled his soon-to-be constituents or anything else. He didn’t respond when asked if he had talked to the House GOP leadership and if anyone had told him that he was going to be investigated for ethics. The swearing-in of House members has been delayed due to a power struggle within the Republican party, meaning Santos has yet to officially take office.
The authorities wrote in their inquiry report thatSantos admitted to forging the signatures on the checks and destroying the remaining checks. The document containing the confession was signed by Santos on November 18, 2010.
Bruno Simes said in an interview with CNN on Wednesday that in 2008 he paid for a merchandise with stolen checks and forged signatures.
The clerk had to pay the amount of the fraudulent purchase in installments to the store, he told police, although the store ended up waving some of the payments for the clerk, the store manager told the police in 2010. The manager said that they were able to find the bank account owner after the sale. He said he had closed the account in 2006 after losing the checkbook.
At one point the clerk was able to track down Santos using social media and, he said, Santos promised to pay him back but never did. The clerk gave the pictures to police because he found them on social media. Screenshots of the conversations between the clerk and Santos are included in the documents obtained by CNN.
In June 2011, investigators filed a request with the Civil Police to take immediate judicial measures against Santos. In September, a judge summoned him to respond to the complaint through an attorney. Neither Santos nor an attorney ever responded. The authorities tried to deliver the summons for Santos at his mother’s home, but they were unable to locate him or her, even after three months.
The Brazilian government will make a formal request for the US Justice Department to notify Santos of the charges after they verified his location, according to CNN. The prosecutor’s office told CNN the request will be filed upon reopening on Friday.
If you cast a ballot for George Santos, don’t feel guilty, he does that really well, said a former shop clerk who works for him in Brazil. He is a professional liar.
“You’re not going to be suspicious of someone who is well-spoken, educated, gentile… He sort of disarms people with those skills so that he can execute those frauds, ” Simões said.
How sorry was I when I heard about a Brazilian Corrupt Cashier when I told him that I was going to repay him? (The article by Simes)
The owner of the shop demanded that Simes pay the damages equal to four months of his salary when it became clear they were fraudulent. Simões paid in installments before the shop owner waived the remaining amount.
I was very upset. Simes told CNN it was a terrible feeling to be deceived. It is worse than being mugged by someone with a gun who robs you, as you may get angry but you might be deceived and someone acting in bad faith to steal from you.
I have been robbed in Brazil by someone armed when I was younger and I felt more frustrated with George for abusing my good faith.
In 2009, in a social media exchange with Simes,Santos promised to repay him. But Simões said Santos never made good on the pledge and, barring a court order, doesn’t have “high hopes” he’ll ever see the money again.
“Even though he confessed to his crime, he never looked me up to pay his debt. At the time I had to take the debt, which was quite high,” Simões told CNN.
“Some people make mistakes and regret them, and others seem to never regret and end up living their whole lives as a fraud. I believe that is the case with George,” Simões said. I don’t think I’ll be able to get this money back.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/04/politics/george-santos-brazilian-clerk-fraud/index.html
Inquiry into the falsehoods of George Stephanos: A Democrat whose lies about his life lie publicly exposed in the New York Post
On Wednesday in Washington, the embattled New York Republican was trailed by reporters through the hallways and tunnels of the US Capitol as the scrutiny and condemnation over his fabrications intensify.
The authorities wrote in their inquiry report thatSantos acknowledged forging the signatures on the checks and destroying the remaining checks.
“It’s important to remember that in his statement to police said he got a checkbook, used only two checks and threw the rest of the checkbook in a manhole,” Simões said. “I don’t believe that, I believe he defrauded other companies and other people.”
Simes said that he thought it was important to tell his story because it looks like he is still using fraud, faking information and lying.
He has mostly refused to address the lies he told about his life during his time as a candidate. In the New York Post interview, which came shortly after the reports of his lies were made public, Santos admitted that he embellished his resume. He flatly denied any criminal activity.
The man Simes went after for deceiving him was elected to Congress, even though he had been tricked in the past. But after a local reporter pointed him out, Simões searched Santos’ name online.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/04/politics/george-santos-brazilian-clerk-fraud/index.html
George Santos, former dairy farmer, is no longer a scandal-plagued congressman: When the bank transaction turned upside upside-down
He said that it was a mix of shock and comedy. It was hard to see him in a suit.
“I saw his photo and I remembered very clearly the photos I had seen of him when he was 19 years old. I was wondering how it is possible for someone to be elected as a congressman. To me that was unbelievable.”
A dairy farmer in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, welcomed a man with a nervous disposition onto his property five years ago to discuss the sale of puppies that the farmer breeds as a side business.
“He says, ‘We are going to take that puppy and that puppy,’” said the farmer, who spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity. His assistant grabs the two puppies and takes them out of the house. I was like, ‘Oh no, is this guy going to pay me with a check?’ I was very suspicious.”
His instinct was correct. The check bounced. The name on it: George Santos, better known today as a recently elected and increasingly scandal-plagued Republican congressman from New York.
After he met the Amish farmer,Santos was charged with theft in Pennsylvania for allegedly writing bad checks in his name to dog sellers in the region, according to a former lawyer friend. The case was confirmed as “theft by deception” by the York County District Attorney’s Office, which told CNN it was later dismissed.
She said she sent an email to a Pennsylvania state trooper with a copy of which she provided to CNN, outlining his contention that one of his four checkbooks had gone missing before bad checks were written. Speaking about the episode more recently, Bogosian said she no longer believes Santos’ story
The farmer stated that the unnamed woman was his assistant and asked to purchase a pair of German shepherds. A deal was reached inside the farmer’s milk house. The assistant quickly grabbed the dogs and left for the car.
The former owner of the business said that after the exchange,Santos participated in an adoption event at a pet supply store.
Avissato told CNN that he wrote a check to Santos’ charity supporting pets after the event, but when he viewed the bank transaction online saw that the organization’s name had been crossed and replaced with the name Anthony Devolder, a version of Santos’ full name he often used as a pseudonym.