As of Tuesday, May 9, U.S. Representative of New York George Santos turned himself in after exaggerating and lying about his personal profile. After months of investigation by U.S. attorneys, federal prosecutors have charged him with his crimes. As of Wednesday, May 10, Judge Anne Y. Shields found Santos guilty on 13 counts including fraud. Nevertheless, Santos pleaded not guilty and the court released him on a $500,000 bond. Congress will proceed to keep a close eye on Santos, as the case may continue for several months.

In a report published by the New York Times last year,  Santos lied about his biography, education and work history to voters which raised questions about the real him. The FBI and the Nassau County district attorney also found that Santos played a part in brokering a $19 million luxury yacht deal. Further questions arose about the work Santos has accomplished for Harbor City Capital which the government accused him of operating as a Ponzi scheme. Santos also faces separate charges in Brazil on an allegation of check fraud.

Santos admitted to fabricating the majority of his resume and exaggerated other claims he made. Nonetheless, he claimed his innocence when asked questions about campaign finances and blamed campaign treasurer Nancy Marks instead.

Even though the prosecuting attorneys charged him with fraud, Santos will continue to serve in Congress. If two-thirds of the members of the House of Representatives vote to expel him, then this would change. Currently, the audience remains against the reelection of Santos. 

“We will just follow the same pattern we always have. If a person is indicted, they are not on committees, they are not on committees, they have the right to vote but they have to go to trial. In America, you are innocent until proven guilty,” McCarthy said.

Santos did not take part in two votes in the House on Tuesday night. For months, McCarthy highlighted Santos’s fate in Congress on the results of an investigation by the  House Ethics Committee. Last month, Santos announced he would seek reelection, regardless of the obstacles that he may face.

“I don’t believe it’s fair for Santos to be reelected because nobody will have trust in him. I know his crimes aren’t too bad but they should still be reevaluated and he should serve time for them. Being a U.S. Representative is such a professional job so I feel like someone who is misleading people should not take on that role,” junior Sunna Alam said.