George Santos, a first-term member of the House of Representatives, is facing thirteen felony charges, including allegedly embezzling contributions from supporters, fraudulently collecting unemployment checks and lying in disclosures to the House. But one of his more bizarre schemes, which involved cryptocurrency, seemed to be inspired by the classic Nigerian prince email scheme, according to a New York Times report.
A campaign donor told the Times that Santos and two other men approached him claiming there was a wealthy Polish citizen who wanted to buy cryptocurrency but couldn’t because his assets were frozen. The trio didn’t provide any details as to why the assets were frozen, nor the name of the Polish investor, but wanted the donor to create a limited liability company to help them gain access to the funds. The donor said the pitch sounded like the classic Nigerian prince email scam and asked for more information. Santos and associates asked the donor to sign a non-disclosure agreement, but the talks ended when the donor asked for changes to the agreement.
The scheme involved Santos, former Republican state assemblyman Michael LiPetri and Bryant Park Associates, a company run by Republican donor Dominick Sartorio, according to the report. LiPetri told The Times that he was aware of Santos’ efforts but wasn’t involved in detail and said no deal ultimately happened.
Thirty-five-year-old Santos, who represents New York’s 3rd congressional district, was arrested and charged with thirteen felonies in March and pleaded not guilty.
The intersection of crypto and politics has recently moved beyond regulatory discussions into more detailed – and sometimes unusual – territory. U.S. Democratic Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared in a Twitter Spaces on Wednesday where he finally confirmed owning bitcoin and called the cryptocurrency a currency of freedom. He has also said if elected, he would move to back the U.S. dollar with bitcoin and exempt bitcoin from taxes.