Embattled Rep. George Santos faced 2017 theft charge in Pa. for $15,000 in bad checks, report says
The checks were for puppies bought from dog breeders. The New York congressman was able to get the charge dismissed and record expunged after claiming someone stole his checkbook, Politico reported.
Embattled U.S. Rep. George Santos was charged in 2017 with theft in Pennsylvania for $15,000 in bad checks written to dog breeders, but he was able to get the charge dismissed and record expunged after claiming someone stole his checkbook, Politico reported Thursday.
Days after the checks were used as payment for “puppies,” Santos held a fund-raising adoption event with his animal-rescue charity called Friends of Pets United at a Staten Island pet store, Politico reported.
Santos was later charged in York County, Pa., with theft because of the bad checks, but he was able to get the charge dismissed and his record expunged in 2021, according to the report.
The lawyer who helped Santos get the charge dropped told Politico she now doesn’t believe his story.
A representative from Santos’ office in Washington could not be reached by The Inquirer for comment Thursday evening.
The Republican New York congressman, whose election in November helped the GOP gain a majority in the House, has acknowledged fabricating, and sometimes lying about, parts of his education, work experience, and even his family’s own religion and history.
He is facing at least five law enforcement probes, including an FBI investigation into a military veteran’s claim that Santos raised $3,000 for life-saving surgery for his pet dog several years ago, then never turned over the money for the animal’s care.
Politico reported that attorney Tiffany Bogosian, who attended middle school with Santos but lost touch with him, said she ran into Santos in late 2019. He later asked her for help because New York Police Department officers had served him with an extradition warrant related to the Pennsylvania theft charge, she said.
In February 2020, Bogosian sent an email to a Pennsylvania State Police trooper on Santos’ behalf with his claim that his checkbook was stolen, Politico reported. She attached copies of canceled checks showing what appeared to be differences in the signatures.
Bogosian said Santos later told her that he went to Pennsylvania and successfully persuaded prosecutors to drop the charge.
Politico reported that a court representative from York County confirmed Santos was charged in November 2017 with theft by deception, but said the record was expunged on Nov. 24, 2021.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.