Embattled Rep. George Santos accused of making unauthorized charges on donor credit cards

A new indictment against Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., accuses him of stealing the identities of campaign donors and using their credit cards in unauthorized charges.

Tuesday’s 23-count indictment replaced one previously filed against the New York Republican, which accused him of embezzling money from his campaign, lying to Congress and more.

Santos is accused of charging over $44,000 to his campaign using cards that belonged to contributors who did not know the charges were being made. In one incident, prosecutors say Santos allegedly charged $12,000 and transferred the majority of the funds into his personal bank account.

He is also accused of falsely reporting to the Federal Elections Commission that he loaned $500,000 to his campaign, when he had less than $8,000 in his personal accounts, according to officials.

“As alleged, Santos is charged with stealing people’s identities and making charges on his own donors’ credit cards without their authorization, lying to the FEC and, by extension, the public about the financial state of his campaign,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement.

Santos’ office declined to comment to USA TODAY. The Republican lawmaker announced his reelection bid earlier this year.

Santos earlier this year pleaded not guilty to 13 federal charges, including additional fraud, money laundering and theft of public funds accusations. The Department of Justice has also previously alleged he committed unemployment insurance fraud by applying for benefits when he was employed, among other charges.

Santos last year admitted that he lied about his job experience and college education during his campaign for his House seat.

“My sins here are embellishing my resume. I’m sorry," he said in an interview with the New York Post.

Contributing: Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: George Santos hit with new charges, including using donor credit cards