After entering a not guilty plea to accusations of cheating campaign contributors and squandering COVID-19 relief funds, embattled New York lawmaker and alleged fraudster George Santos appeared in court once more.
Indignant demonstrators who called him a “dog killer” met the humiliated lawmaker when he went to court on Friday.
Santos, a Republican who represents portions of Queens and Long Island in the House of Representatives, rose to fame after it was discovered that he had made up a significant portion of his biography and past.
In May, federal prosecutors charged Santos with seven counts of counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of lying to congress.
‘The allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself,’ said Breon Peace, the US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
Santos pleaded not guilty to all charges, and called the investigation into his finances a ‘witch hunt.’
On Friday, he returned to court for another hearing for his trial’s discovery phase.
As he walked from his car into the courthouse, one protester shouted ‘dog killer!’ at the congressman.
The protester is believed to be Rich Osthoff, a disabled veteran who previously accused Santos of stealing money raised for his service dog’s veterinary care.
In the courtroom, Santos’s lawyers revealed they turned over more than 80,000 pages of documents during the discovery process.
Santos sat silently through the court proceedings. As he left the courtroom, he wished his prosecutors a ‘happy Fourth of July.’
The New York congressman is scheduled to return to court on September 7, just days before the next session of Congress begins.
Santos left the courthouse flanked by attorneys, carrying a miniature American flag. Osthoff could be heard in the distance again screaming: ‘You killed Sapphire George! You killed my dog!’
Santos did not acknowledge any of the protesters. He has not made any public statements since his appearance on Friday.
Santos continues to remain out of jail on bail.
He was released after his indictment when another party cosigned his $500,000 bond. Last week, the court publicly released his benefactors’ identities: his father, Gercino Dos Santos, and his aunt, Elma Santos Preven.