Lying Long Island Rep. George Santos insisted Friday that he “never did anything of criminal activity” after a former roommate claimed Santos was the mastermind of a 2017 credit card skimming operation that landed the pal behind bars.
Santos (R-NY), 34, shrugged off the accusation, insisting that he was “innocent” and “I have no mastermind event” while appearing to give a thumbs-up to photographers as he arrived at his Capitol Hill office Friday morning.
The new trouble for Santos comes after Gustavo Ribeiro Trelha, who was convicted of fraud, alleged in a sworn affidavit obtained by Politico on Thursday that Santos provided him with the equipment to skim credit cards for his Seattle-based operation — and that he showed him how to do it.
Santos denied the accusation, firing back in a tweet late Thursday: “With everyone asking I’ll give a simple answer. The newest insanity published by politico [sic] is categorically false. Any news organization willing to do good Journalism [sic] I’ll entertain sitting down with you and go over it all.”
Embattled Rep. George Santos (R-NY) arrives at his Capitol Hill office in Washington, DC, Friday morning. Ron Sachs – CNP
Santos appeared to shrug off claims he was the mastermind behind a 2017 credit card skimming scheme. Ron Sachs – CNP“I cooperated with Secret Service, FBI, everybody that asked for my help,” the congressman added Friday. “Got information for them. Got everybody arrested and deported.”
Trelha claimed in his declaration — which was sent to the FBI, the Secret Service’s New York office and the Brooklyn US Attorney’s Office on Tuesday — that Santos had a warehouse full of equipment to skim and print fake cards in Orlando.
“Santos taught me how to skim card information and how to clone cards. He gave me all the materials and taught me how to put skimming devices and cameras on ATM machines,” Trelha wrote in the affidavit.
Gustavo Ribeiro Trelha was convicted of fraud in 2017 after he was busted on a security camera removing a skimming device from a Seattle-area ATM.
Trelha, who was deported to Brazil in the wake of his conviction, had reportedly rented a room in Santos’ Winter Park, Fla., apartment in November 2016 after first meeting via a Facebook group for Brazilians in Orlando.
“That is when and where I learned from him how to clone ATM and credit cards,” Trelha alleged.
The fraudster said he eventually flew to Seattle to carry out the card-skimming operation and had a deal with Santos to give him a 50% cut of the proceeds.
Santos called the accusation “categorically false.” Ron Sachs – CNPAfter Trelha was busted, Santos appeared at a bail hearing to vouch for the accused, telling the judge he was a “family friend” and rattling off what has now been revealed as his fake background.
“I am an aspiring politician and I work for Goldman Sachs,” Santos said he told the judge at the time.
Santos denied Friday that he and Trelha were roommates telling reporters he had only met the man “a couple of times in my life.”
The Long Island Republican admitted to The Post in December that he lied about large parts of his resume — including his claims to work for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup — but insisted: “I am not a criminal.”
Santos is embroiled in a federal probe reportedly tied to his campaign finances and is also under investigation by the House Ethics Committee.
