--- title: George Santos Faces Criminal Charges by Justice Department description: Charges could be unsealed as early as Wednesday afternoon and Santos could be arrested as soon as Tuesday evening, according to a person familiar with the matter. canonical: https://time.com/6278466/george-santos-criminal-charges/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2023-05-10T02:00:07.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-24T15:51:25.053Z article:section: Politics og:title: George Santos Faces Criminal Charges by Justice Department og:description: Charges could be unsealed as early as Wednesday afternoon and Santos could be arrested as soon as Tuesday evening, according to a person familiar with the matter og:url: https://time.com/6278466/george-santos-criminal-charges/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd816e90e38379854/698a3cbdb3fce32ead0ca728/george-santos-criminal-charges.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: U.S.-WASHINGTON D.C.-GEORGE SANTOS og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: George Santos Faces Criminal Charges by Justice Department twitter:description: Charges could be unsealed as early as Wednesday afternoon and Santos could be arrested as soon as Tuesday evening, according to a person familiar with the matter twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd816e90e38379854/698a3cbdb3fce32ead0ca728/george-santos-criminal-charges.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # George Santos Faces Criminal Charges by Justice Department > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=30e14c57-5af7-40d3-9c88-1aaf2a161441&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. Brief is edited by TIME journalists. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Chris Strohm, Patricia Hurtado and Gregory Korte / Bloomberg](https://time.com/author/bloomberg/) ## Chris Strohm, Patricia Hurtado and Gregory Korte / Bloomberg Contributor May 10, 2023 2:00 AM UTC  Republican lawmaker George Santos is seen outside his office in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 25, 2023. Republican lawmaker George Santos is seen outside his office in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 25, 2023. Aaron Schwartz—Xinhua/Getty Images by [Chris Strohm, Patricia Hurtado and Gregory Korte / Bloomberg](https://time.com/author/bloomberg/) ## Chris Strohm, Patricia Hurtado and Gregory Korte / Bloomberg Contributor May 10, 2023 2:00 AM UTC Representative George Santos, the embattled New York Republican who took office despite fabricating much of what he had claimed about his education and career, has been indicted on federal charges, according to two people familiar with the case. Santos, who was elected to a district that includes parts of Long Island and the New York City borough of Queens in 2022, has rejected demands from both Democrats and Republicans that he resign after his lies were exposed. **Read More:** [_Investigations, Distrust, and Stigma: Why George Santos May Not Get Much Done in Congress_](https://time.com/6246177/george-santos-first-term-challenges/) Charges filed in the Eastern District of New York could be unsealed as early as Wednesday afternoon and the case could be prosecuted out of the Eastern District’s central office in Islip on Long Island, according to a person familiar with the matter. Santos had been under investigation over possible campaign finance violations. In January, the Justice Department asked the Federal Election Commission to hold off on any enforcement action against him, a signal that there was an ongoing criminal investigation. **Read More:** [_Here Are All the Investigations Into George Santos_](https://time.com/6260251/george-santos-investigations/) Santos, his congressional office and his lawyer didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. Danielle Hass, a spokeswoman for Brooklyn US Attorney Breon Peace, whose office has been prosecuting the case, declined to comment. CNN, which reported on the charges earlier Tuesday, said he was expected to be in court as soon as Wednesday to answer the charges. With Republicans holding the House by just five seats, Santos’s vote is a critical part of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s hold on power. **Read More:** [_Why New York Is the Center of the 2024 Fight for House Control_](https://time.com/6271824/new-york-house-of-representatives-democrats-stefanik-2024/) McCarthy said Tuesday that he would ask Santos to resign if he’s found guilty. Santos had already been stripped of his committee assignments, an interim measure usually taken for members facing an indictment. Santos, 34, was part of a Republican wave that crested over Long Island last November, as the GOP picked up House seats in New York State despite disappointing returns in midterm races elsewhere. A month later, however, the New York Times reported that large parts of the congressman-elect’s life story were invented. During the campaign, he claimed to have worked for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, graduated from Baruch College in New York, played on a championship volleyball team and that he was Jewish. None of those things were true. **Read More:** [_George Santos Represents Everything Americans Hate About Government_](https://time.com/6246240/george-santos-americans-hate-about-government/) As reports about the indictment circulated, Representative Daniel Goldman, a New York Democrat, said Santos “should resign, the speaker should require him to resign, or we should bring the expulsion resolution already filed to the floor.” In campaign finance filings, Santos reported that he had loaned his campaign $705,000\. He claimed to be worth between $2.6 million to $11.2 million — with a salary of $750,000 — in a disclosure he filed before the election. It was a remarkable turnabout from his campaign two years earlier, when he disclosed no assets and an income of $55,000. In March, he filed paperwork declaring his intention to seek reelection in 2024. _—With assistance from John Harney, Bill Allison, Justin Sink and Erik Wasson._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6278466/george-santos-criminal-charges/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6278466/george-santos-criminal-charges/"},"headline":"George Santos Faces Criminal Charges by Justice Department","datePublished":"2023-05-10T02:00:07.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-24T15:51:25.053Z","description":"Charges could be unsealed as early as Wednesday afternoon and Santos could be arrested as soon as Tuesday evening, according to a person familiar with the matter.","url":"https://time.com/6278466/george-santos-criminal-charges/","keywords":["justice","wire"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd816e90e38379854/698a3cbdb3fce32ead0ca728/george-santos-criminal-charges.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Chris Strohm, Patricia Hurtado and Gregory Korte / Bloomberg"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd816e90e38379854/698a3cbdb3fce32ead0ca728/george-santos-criminal-charges.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"U.S.-WASHINGTON D.C.-GEORGE SANTOS","caption":"U.S.-WASHINGTON D.C.-GEORGE SANTOS","creditText":"Aaron Schwartz—Xinhua/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/justice/","name":"justice"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/6278466/george-santos-criminal-charges/","name":"George Santos Faces Criminal Charges by Justice Department"}}]}] ```