George Santos denies masterminding 2017 ATM credit card skimming scam
George Santos, the Republican Representative from New York who joined the U.S. House beginning in 2023, is in the headlines again, this time after allegedly orchestrating an ATM and credit card skimming fraud operation back in 2017, according to MSN. Immediately after winning the election for his Congressional seat, Santos began being accused of lying about pretty much everything, including his bio, his high school and college educations, his employment history, his criminal record, his family tree and religion, his finances, and being a Brazilian drag queen – among other things.
On March 10, CNN reported that the embattled Representative informed the media that he was innocent of the most recent allegations against him and that he was not the mastermind behind that credit card skimming operation and that he was only helping out and working with the Secret Service, the FBI and everybody else that asked for his help in the credit card investigation.
“Innocent,” the New York Republican told reporters on Capitol Hill. “Never did anything of criminal activity, and I have no mastermind event.”
The latest allegations against Santos arrived after a man named Gustavo Ribeiro Trelha, claiming to be a former roommate of Santos’ in Brazil, swore in a deposition that Santos was indeed the mastermind behind a plan to steal credit card and ATM information. Trelha was deported back to his native Brazil after pleading guilty to credit card fraud and spending seven months in an American prison.
“I am coming forward today to declare that the person in charge of the crime of credit card fraud when I was arrested was George Santos,” Trelha wrote in the declaration obtained by Politico.
In addition to saying that Santos taught him the ropes on how to clone credit cards, Trelha also claimed that Santos made threats against Trelha’s friends if he ever revealed his part in the credit card fraud scheme. CNN went on to report Santos as saying that he denied ever being roommates with Trelha and that he only ever met him just a few times .
ABC News reported that Santos, who has since admitted to fabricating portions of the biography that he shared while running for office, is facing multiple investigations from prosecutors plus a Congressional Ethics Investigation. Members frorm both sides of the political aisle have called for his resignation. Santos continues to deny any wrongdoing in this latest allegation against him
Regarding the Republican Congressman who allegedly made up his entire life story, see the article, “Here’s Every Single Lie Told by George Santos,” ~ The Intelligencer, 3/10/2023
For Santos’ reactions to being accused of orchestrating the reported credit card skimming scheme, see the video accompanying this article.
(George Santos cover photo, image credit: Image: https://georgeforny.com/about/)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Follow Richard on Facebook. Twitter & Instagram
