Short:
- Brazilian prosecutors have reached a deal with Rep. George Santos, who is accused of defrauding a clerk of $1,300 for clothes and shoes in 2008.
- The deal requires Santos to formally confess to the crime and pay damages to the victim as required by Brazilian law.
- Prosecutors are demanding that Santos proves he can contact the victim and repay him before the deal is finalized.
- Santos’ attorney has requested a non-prosecutorial agreement for his client, citing Santos’ rehabilitation and current employment.
- Santos had previously denied any wrongdoing and did not comment when asked about the case.
- The case had been closed for years, but was reopened in January when authorities finally located Santos.
- The details of the case are currently under a gag order, and prosecutors could not comment further on the matter.
Brief:
Prosecutors in Brazil have agreed to a deal with Rep. George Santos in a case in which he is accused of defrauding a Rio de Janeiro area clerk of $1,300 over clothes and shoes in 2008, documents obtained by CNN show. A petition from Santos’ attorney requesting a deal says Santos would agree to formally confess to the crime and pay damages to the victim, a Rio de Janeiro area clerk, as is required under Brazilian law. A memo from prosecutors agreeing to the deal last week asked the defense for assurances they have the ability to contact the victim to repay him before the deal is finalized. The petition from Santos’ attorney, filed in January, requests a non-prosecutorial agreement in lieu of a trial for his client, arguing that Santos is now gainfully employed and “re-socialized.” The petition also requested permission for Santos to be contacted by the court via email or phone, and participate in the proceedings via videoconference. Agreements can be reached in non-violent cases where the sentencing minimum is under four years. Santos did not comment when asked about this reporting on Capitol Hill by CNN’s Manu Raju. CNN has reached out to attorneys for Santos in Brazil and the United States. In 2010, Santos told police he wrote bad checks from a stolen checkbook belonging to an elderly man his mother cared for to purchase the items. Santos told the New York Post in December he had not been charged with any crime in Brazil. “I am not a criminal here — not here or in Brazil or any jurisdiction in the world. Absolutely not. That didn’t happen,” he said at the time. After Santos left for the United States, Brazilian authorities could not find an address to serve him papers intimating him to appear in court, which eventually led to the archiving of the case, until it was reopened in January. Prosecutors could not comment further, as the case is under a gag order.
Brazilian prosecutors have struck a deal with Rep. George Santos, who is accused of cheating a clerk out of $1,300 for clothes and shoes in 2008. Santos has agreed to formally admit his guilt and pay damages to the victim, as required by law. However, prosecutors are demanding that he prove he has the ability to contact the victim and repay him before the deal is finalized. The congressman’s attorney has requested a non-prosecutorial agreement for his client, citing Santos’ rehabilitation and current employment. Santos has not commented on the matter, but had previously denied any wrongdoing. The case had been closed for years, but was reopened in January when authorities were finally able to locate Santos. The details of the case are currently under a gag order.