Honeymoon in Vegas? Botox? A look at what George Santos allegedly spent his campaign funds on

Sudiksha Kochi, USA TODAY
·2 min read
49

WASHINGTON - Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., is expected to face a third expulsion vote this week following a scathing report from the House Ethics Committee that alleged he used his campaign money for his personal benefit.

A report from the panel’s Investigative Subcommittee found that Santos “was frequently in debt, had an abysmal credit score, and relied on an ever-growing wallet of high-interest credit cards to fund his luxury spending habits.”

The report also found “a pattern of campaign committee expenditures for travel and other personal services that may not have represented legitimate and verifiable campaign expenditures.”

“Without Representative Santos’ cooperation, the ISC was unable to verify whether such expenditures, and others detailed below, were incurred for bona fide campaign purposes; however, certain expenditures on their face do not appear to have a campaign nexus,” the report says.

But what exactly did Santos spend his money on?

Here’s a breakdown of some items and services his funds went towards, according to the report:

  • Honeymoon: The report found taxi and hotel charges on his campaign credit card incurred in Las Vegas at a time when he told his campaign staff he was on a honeymoon

  • Hampton Holiday: The report “identified a July 7, 2022, $3,332.81 Airbnb expenditure, reported to the FEC as a “Hotel stay.” A review of his campaign calendar shows he was at the Hamptons for the weekend, the report says

  • Spa and cosmetic procedures: The report found that during the 2020 campaign, a $1,500 purchase on the campaign debit card was made at Mirza Aesthetics; this expense was not reported to the FEC. And another purchase included $1,400 at Virtual Skin Spa. The report also identified an “unreported PayPal payment of $1,029.30 to an esthetician”

  • Hermès, Sephora and OnlyFans: After a $50,000 payment to RedStone Strategies, LLC, a company he owned, to his personal account, the report found the funds were used to “pay down personal credit card bills and other debt; make a $4,127.80 purchase at Hermes; and for smaller purchases at Only Fans, Sephora; and for meals and for parking"

  • Ferragamo stores, rent and casino: After Santos’ campaign transferred $20,000 to another one of his companies, it was “used to make about $6,000 worth of purchases at Ferragamo stores, withdraw $800 in cash from an ATM at a casino, withdraw $1,000 in cash from an ATM near Representative Santos’ apartment, and to pay Representative Santos’ rent,” according to the report.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: OnlyFans? Spa days? Where George Santos allegedly spent his campaign funds on

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