George Santos is an American politician affiliated with the Republican Party, currently serving as the U.S. representative for New York’s 3rd congressional district since 2023. He secured his seat in Congress after an unsuccessful bid in 2020 against the Democratic incumbent, Representative Thomas Suozzi.
Bio/Wiki
Age- 35 years
Height- 1.91 m
Born- 22 July 1988
Birth place-Jackson Heights, New York, United States
Full name-George Anthony Devolder Santos
Profession-United States Representative
Nationality- American
Party-Republican Party
Office-United States Representative since 2023
Family
George Anthony Devolder Santos, born on July 22, 1988, is the child of Fátima Aziza Caruso Horta Devolder and Gercino Antônio dos Santos Jr. (known as Junior). Both of his parents were born in Brazil. Fátima Devolder immigrated to Florida as a migrant worker in 1985, initially working in bean fields. Later, she relocated to New York City, where she worked as a housekeeper, cook, and nanny. Gercino Santos was employed as a house painter. George Santos also has a younger sister.
Wife
According to public records, Santos was married to Uadla Vieira Santos. The couple, who reportedly tied the knot in 2012, separated in 2019. In October 2022, he openly shared with the media: “I am openly gay and have never struggled with my sexual identity over the past decade.” Two months later, in a different interview, he mentioned, “I got married at a young age, to a young woman at the time, and we were deeply in love.” However, friends, former coworkers, and roommates who have known Santos throughout his adult life assert that he has consistently expressed his homosexuality without any ambiguity.
Career
He left Brazil while facing an ongoing check fraud case and relocated to New York City. Between October 2011 and July 2012, Santos worked as a customer service representative at a call center for Dish Network in College Point, Queens.
After 2013, Santos was employed by HotelsPro, a subsidiary of Istanbul-based MetGlobal, although the company garnered numerous negative online reviews. In early 2016, he moved to Orlando, Florida, where HotelsPro was establishing an office. Santos changed his voter registration and driver’s license to his Florida residence during this period.
In 2010, Santos admitted to committing check fraud in Brazil in 2008 but failed to appear in court in 2011, leaving the case unresolved. Brazilian authorities revived the case in late 2022 after his election, and Santos later agreed to plead guilty. Additionally, Santos faced eviction and personal debt judgments in the United States, admitting to failing to pay thousands of dollars in 2010s judgments. Theft by deception charges filed in 2017 in the U.S. were dropped and subsequently expunged.
Starting in 2017, using the name George Devolder, Santos worked in an undisclosed role for LinkBridge Investors, a company organizing exclusive conferences for investors. He was listed as a vice president on his 2019 campaign disclosure form and a company document.
Santos currently faces 23 fraud-related charges in two 2023 federal indictments, pleading not guilty to 13 of them. Despite calls for his resignation from the House, he survived an expulsion vote and reaffirmed his intention to seek re-election.
Political Position
Santos has aligned himself with former President Donald Trump. During a March 2019 event organized by the conservative #WalkAway Foundation, which urged LGBTQ community members to leave the Democratic Party, Santos (introducing himself as Anthony Devolder) claimed to have founded a group called United for Trump. At the event, he asked Blaire White, a transgender YouTuber, how she could help educate others to avoid the narrative presented by the media and Democrats.
In 2023, Santos participated in a rally outside the Manhattan courthouse where Trump was arraigned on felony charges of falsifying business records.
Santos has expressed controversial views, dismissing police brutality as a “made-up concept.” During a speech at the Whitestone Republican Club in Whitestone, Queens, in 2022, he labeled abortion as “barbaric” and drew comparisons to slavery.
Health
Besides stating in October 2020 that he underwent double knee replacement surgery, Santos disclosed in an earlier interview that he had been diagnosed with a brain tumor and underwent radiation therapy. He also asserted suffering from immunodeficiency and acute chronic bronchitis. However, when queried in 2022, his campaign did not provide specific details or respond to inquiries regarding his alleged brain tumor.
Net Worth 2023
- Santos’ Net Worth 2023: $49 Million
- Annual Income: $7 Million
- Salary: $174,000
- Received Anonymous Gifts: $6.6 Million
Latest News about George Santos
George Santos Survives Expulsion Vote
On Wednesday, a vote was held in the House to expel U.S. Rep. George Santos, a motion led by his fellow New York Republicans. The attempt to remove Santos from the House stemmed from allegations of fabricating his life story, stealing from donors, lying to Congress, and fraudulently receiving unemployment benefits. Despite the efforts to oust him, the resolution failed to garner the necessary two-thirds vote. Most Republicans, along with 31 Democrats, chose to withhold punishment, citing the ongoing criminal trial and a House Ethics Committee investigation. The final vote resulted in 179 in favor of expulsion and 213 against. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., maintained that Santos should have his day in court and expressed concerns about expelling members solely based on charges or accusations of wrongdoing.
Certain Democrats expressed reservations about acting prematurely, emphasizing the need to await the findings of the Ethics Committee. The committee had recently released a rare memo detailing the depth of its investigation, including contacting 40 witnesses and issuing 37 subpoenas. The committee indicated that the next steps in the investigation would be announced by November 17.
Historically, the House has rarely resorted to its most severe disciplinary measures. Throughout its history, the House has expelled only five members: three during the Civil War and two following convictions on public corruption charges. Expelling Santos before his federal court case concludes would be an unprecedented move for the House.
However, some Republicans disagreed, asserting they had seen sufficient evidence against Santos. Representative Steve Womack of Arkansas, while acknowledging the importance of due process, argued that Santos had misrepresented himself to New York voters, and they would not have elected him had they known the truth about his background.
“We don’t need the Santos charade all the way through the 2024 election cycle. I think the Congress needs to take action now,” Womack said.