Santos, Brazilian prosecutors agree to deal in fraud case

Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) has reached a deal with Brazilian prosecutors to resolve a 15-year-old fraud case, according to CNN.

As part of the agreement, Santos will formally confess to defrauding a Rio de Janeiro clerk of $1,300 in clothes and shoes in 2008 and pay damages to the victim, CNN reported. 

Brazilian prosecutors reopened the case in January, about a decade after the case was archived because authorities were unable to locate Santos.

The deal would resolve one of the many investigations facing the embattled freshman lawmaker, who has previously admitted to lying about his background on the 2022 campaign trail and has faced scrutiny over his personal and campaign finances.

Santos’s former roommate, Gustavo Ribeiro Trelha, levied the most recent allegations against the congressman, claiming earlier this month that he orchestrated a credit card skimming operation to steal information from ATMs and credit cards. Santos has denied that he participated in any “criminal activity” when asked about the accusations.

The New York Republican also faces investigations by the House Ethics Committee, the Nassau County district attorney, the New York state attorney general, the Queens district attorney, and reportedly the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York, over a wide variety of allegations.