Rep. George Santos’ campaign finance report shows loss of $3G in net contributions in past three months

WASHINGTON — In his first marketing campaign finance report since being uncovered for fabrications and focused for investigations, Rep. George Santos reported Saturday that his internet contributions for the previous three months equal a lack of $3,019.52.

Santos, a Republican who represents the third Congressional District in Nassau and Queens counties, reported to the Federal Election Fee that he raised a complete of $5,333.26 within the first quarter but in addition refunded 4 contributors a complete of $8,352.78.

“That’s the most pathetic FEC report I’ve ever seen for an incumbent Member of Congress in thirty-four years of training marketing campaign finance legislation,” stated Brett Kappel, an lawyer at Harmon Curran, a Washington, D.C., legislation agency.

Santos’ congressional spokeswoman Naysa Woomer stated in an e-mail Saturday night time that his congressional workplace doesn’t touch upon campaign-related issues.

The cash-losing marketing campaign report additionally says that Santos’ marketing campaign finance committee had $25,096 in money available and money owed for loans Santos made to his marketing campaign totaling $715,000.

However that mortgage determine fell $40,000 wanting the $755,000 in unpaid loans that he reported in his year-end 2022 submitting to the FEC in January. The FEC seemingly will ship Santos questions on that mortgage discrepancy, Kappel stated.

The submitting Saturday recognized one particular person making a contribution — a New York Metropolis resident named Sacha Basin who donated $254.95 via the WinRed Republican marketing campaign donation conduit on Jan. 24.

And the marketing campaign refunded $2,900 every to 2 of Santos’ greater donors in his profitable 2022 marketing campaign through which he defeated his Democratic opponent.

A kind of refunds went to Robert Mangi, a Lloyd Harbor resident and operator of a wholesale insurance coverage brokerage in Backyard Metropolis. Mangi and his spouse, Sandra, contributed a complete of $197,400 to Santos-tied committees, state and federal data present.

“Greater than the non-public humiliation of discovering the particular person you thought was a ‘Subsequent Gen’ political standard-bearer is, in truth, a fraud is the conclusion that these gorgeous revelations include vital collateral injury,” Mangi stated in a press release to Newsday.

The opposite $2,900 refund went to Mayra Ruiz, a Republican donor in Miami who bought a $19 million, 141-foot superyacht to Raymond Tantillo, a Lengthy Island auto seller, in a deal brokered by Santos. Tantillo gave greater than $17,000 to Santos’ marketing campaign and affiliated committees.

As well as, the marketing campaign refunded Cindy Gross, of Woodmere, the $500 contribution she gave per week earlier than the publication of The New York Occasions expose of Santos, and the $500 that Thomas Zmich, of Bayside and a former unsuccessful candidate for Congress in Queens, gave a day after the expose appeared.

The Home Ethics Committee, the federal prosecutor within the Japanese District of New York and the New York lawyer common have opened investigations into the marketing campaign and different actions of Santos.