Democracy Dies in Darkness

Brazil to reopen probe of George Santos in 2008 checkbook fraud case

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January 3, 2023 at 12:35 p.m. EST
Rep.-elect George Santos (R-N.Y.) sits in the House chamber of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 3, the opening day of the 118th Congress. (Andrew Harnik/AP)
5 min

SANTOS, Brazil — Authorities in Brazil are seeking to reinstate a 15-year-old fraud charge against George Santos, the latest controversy to hit the New York Republican, who was due to be sworn in to Congress on Tuesday.

The charge, news about which was first reported by the New York Times on Monday, stems from the alleged theft and use of a checkbook in Rio de Janeiro state in 2008, when Santos was 19. Authorities opened an investigation but suspended it when they were unable to find him. He is also under investigation by the Nassau County, N.Y., district attorney, who is probing the “numerous fabrications and inconsistencies” about his biography that have come to light since his election.