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Watchdog files complaint against Rep. Santos for finance law violations

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Rep-elect George Santos, R-NY, raises his hand to vote for Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-CA, for Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC on Thursday. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI

Rep-elect George Santos, R-NY, raises his hand to vote for Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-CA, for Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC on Thursday. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI | License Photo

Jan. 9 (UPI) — Embattled Republican lawmaker Rep. George Santos faces allegations of campaign finance law violations.

Nonprofit government watchdog Campaign Legal Center filed a complaint against Santos and his campaign for concealing the sources of $705,000 in campaign contributions. The organization accused Devolder-Santos for Congress of engaging in a straw donor scheme in an effort to evade campaign finance contribution limits.

Santos was elected to represent New York’s 3rd Congressional District in the House of Representatives during the 2022 midterm elections. Since then, several falsehoods in Santos’ campaign have been revealed, including misleading statements about his education and work history. In its filing, CLC said Santos claimed to have contributed $705,000 to his campaign, despite reporting only having $55,000 in his 2020 financial disclosure.

In 2020, Santos loaned his campaign $81,250.

The 34-year-old’s 2022 financial disclosure report positions him as the managing principal of Devolder Organization which he has 100% controlling interest in. He claims a salary of between $1 million and $5 million for the current and preceding filing years.

“His claims of having earned millions of dollars in 2021 and 2022 from a supposed consulting business that he started in May 2021, Devolder Organization LLC, are vague, uncorroborated, and non-credible in light of his many previous lies,” CLC said in its filing.

“As set forth below, the overall circumstances instead indicate that unknown individuals or corporations may have illegally funneled money to Santos’s campaign through the newly formed Devolder LLC.”

Devolder organization is described as a “capital intro consulting company.” Santos has no reported clients who have paid him more than $5,000 for services, according to CLC.

Santos’ campaign reported 40 disbursements of $199 to $200, including 37 of exactly $199.99. CLC argues that this number of like disbursements is “implausible,” even “impossible,” based on what they were used towards.

Santos is also accused of misappropriating campaign funds by using them for personal expenses, such as rent.

“Accordingly, there is reason to believe Santos’s campaign deliberately falsified its disbursement reporting, among numerous other reporting violations,” CLC said.

“There is reason to believe Santos’s campaign deliberately falsified its disbursement reporting, among numerous other reporting violations.”

Rep. Clay Higgins, R-LA, (C) holds a Bible as Republican members pray in the House chamber before meeting to elect a apeaker at the U.S. Capitol on Friday. The House will vote again on Friday to elect a speaker and break a deadlock with the Republican Party’s extreme right wing. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI | License Photo

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