Who is George Santos and how is he connected to Brevard County?

New York congressman George Santos faces felony charges related to an alleged wire fraud and money laundering scheme that investigators say were connected to companies run through a Brevard County based LLC.

Here’s what we know:

Who is George Santos?

George Santos, a Republican, was elected in November to represent New York's 3rd Congressional District, which includes parts of the New York City borough of Queens and Long Island.

Federal investigators say Santos defrauded campaign donors, spending tens of thousands in political contributions funneled through the companies on personal expenses like credit card bills and "luxury designer clothing," according to the federal indictment.

Only one of the companies was named in the federal filing: the Devolder Organization LLC., which Santos (whose middle name is Devolder) had previously described as a firm that managed his family assets.

Federal indictment: Regulators say George Santos' Brevard County companies involved in fraud scheme

Shifting Brevard addresses: Santos' company moves HQ from Merritt Island penthouse to Melbourne mail store

The charges against Santos

A grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York has charged Santos with seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives in connection with the alleged scheme.

What is Devolder Organization LCC?

The source of his wealth, according to the filing, was the "Devolder Organization," which Santos has described as a firm that managed his family's assets, which he said totaled $80 million. Devolder was Santos' mother's maiden name and he sometimes goes by George Devolder Santos or just George Devolder.

The Devolder Organization was first incorporated in Florida in May 2021 with the now-empty Melbourne offices of a Ob/Gyn practice listed as its address.

Santos filed new paperwork with the state reviving the firm in December, one day after the New York Times called into question large parts of Santos' resume noting that the Wall Street companies he said he worked for had no record of him. This time it listed a Merritt Island address as the company's headquarters. That address was for a penthouse unit in the Harbor Del Rio condos.

In January, The Devolder Organization LLC changed its headquarters from a penthouse on Merritt Island to a mail-services store in Melbourne.

The backstory: Disgraced politician George Santos has strong ties to Brevard County

Santos’ money

The financial disclosure report Santos filed in September 2022 claimed he had assets worth between $2.5 million and $10 million and had an income of $750,000. The only liability listed was a car loan from Westlake Financial, a company that specializes in sub-prime auto financing.

The source of his wealth, according to the filing, was the "Devolder Organization," which Santos has described as a firm that managed his family's assets, which he said totaled $80 million.

Ponzi scheme shutdown

For at least part of the time he was running for Congress, Santos was working for Harbor City Capital, a Melbourne-based "investment firm" that was shut down by the Securities and Exchange Commission as being nothing more than a Ponzi scheme. Federal regulators say the company defrauded investors of at least $4.5 million.

Santos has denied any knowledge of wrongdoing at the company.

Santos did not list any income from Harbor Capital on financial disclosure forms he filed as part of two congressional runs, a potential criminal violation.

Read more about Santos connection to Brevard

FLORIDA TODAY looked into the connections Santos had with Brevard. Here is the first story published on Santos' ties to the Space Coast, and here is a follow-up story.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: George Santos's Florida Connection: What we know