Republican George Santos pleads not guilty to new fraud charges amid expulsion vote

US congressman George Santos has pleaded not guilty to 10 new charges accusing him of several more frauds, following initial charges in May.

Santos has been accused of making tens of thousands of dollars in unauthorised charges on credit cards belonging to some of his campaign donors.

The New York Republican appeared at a Long Island courthouse, where a lawyer entered the plea on his behalf.

Santos previously pleaded not guilty to the other charges in May, accusing him of lying to Congress about his wealth, receiving unemployment benefits he didn't deserve, and using campaign contributions to pay for personal expenses like designer clothing.

The court appearance came the morning after some of Santos' Republican colleagues from New York launched an effort to expel him from Congress.

He will face an expulsion vote next week, which are extremely rare. According to the US constitution, two-thirds of the votes in the house are required for this to happen.

Santos didn’t speak to reporters as he left the courthouse, but smiled and waved at a small group of protesters shouting insults from across the street.

A judge has scheduled a tentative court date of September 9, 2024.

Santos has denied any serious wrongdoing and blamed irregularities in his government regulatory filings on his former campaign treasurer, Nancy Marks, who he claims “went rogue.”

Marks recently pleaded guilty to a fraud conspiracy charge, and told a judge she had helped Santos trick Republican party officials into supporting his run for office in 2022, through bogus Federal Election Committee filings that made him look richer than he really was.

She claimed an imaginary $500,000 (£412,462) loan was listed that had supposedly come from his personal wealth.

Santos has continued to represent his New York district in Congress since he was charged, rejecting calls for his resignation from several fellow New York Republicans.

US Rep. Anthony D'Esposito, who represents a congressional district next to the one that elected Santos, introduced a resolution on Thursday calling for Santos to be expelled from the House.

He said Santos wasn't fit to serve his constituents, and was joined by four other New York Republicans - US Reps. Nick LaLota, Michael Lawler, Marc Molinaro and Brandon Williams.

Santos posted a cryptic note on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying: “Everything has an end in life,” but later added three points of clarification.

“1. I have not cleared out my office. 2. I’m not resigning. 3. I’m entitled to due process and not a predetermined outcome as some are seeking,” he wrote.

He has previously said he intends to run for reelection next year, though he could face a lengthy prison term if convicted.

During his successful 2022 run for office, Santos spun a colourful and uplifting life story that was later revealed to be rife with fabrications. 

Among other things, he never worked for the major Wall Street investment firms where he claimed to have been employed, didn't go to the college where he claimed to have been a star volleyball player, and misled people about having Jewish heritage.

Santos hasn't faced any criminal charges related to the lies he told the public.

However, he does face allegations that he propped up his image as having made a fortune in the investing world by submitting a false financial disclosure to the US House.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...