- Rep.-elect George Santos has admitted to fabricating major parts of his life story.
- His ex-boyfriend told The New York Times that he feels gullible for believing some of the lies.
George Santos is scheduled to due to take the floor of the House of Representatives on Tuesday, but an ever-growing list of scandals and calls to resign look set to overshadow his swearing-in.
The congressman-elect has admitted that he fabricated significant parts of his life story after an investigation by The New York Times revealed that his résumé consisted of lies.
And a new article by The New York Times, published on Monday, shows that former friends and colleagues say Santos, 34, has been weaving a fictional narrative about his life for years.
Pedro Vilarva, who met Santos in 2014, dated the embattled politician for a few months before they moved in together, per The Times.
Vilarva said that Santos, elected in November to represent a Long Island district, who he found "charming and sweet," rarely contributed to bills.
"He used to say he would get money from Citigroup, he was an investor," said Vilarva, per The Times. "One day it's one thing, one day it's another thing. He never ever actually went to work."
Citigroup told The Times it had no record of Santos ever working there. Goldman Sachs, which Santos also listed as a former workplace, told the newspaper it had no record of his employment.
In 2015, Vilarva said that Santos surprised him with plane tickets to Hawaii. However, the tickets did not exist, The Times said. The newspaper reported that at a similar time, Vilarva noticed that his cell phone had gone missing.
He said he believed that Santos stole it and pawned it, per The Times.
After these incidents, Vilarva told the newspaper that he searched Santos' name online and discovered that Brazilian police wanted him.
In 2008, The Times reported that Santos, then 19, was accused of stealing a checkbook of the man his mother was caring for.
Citing Brazilian court records, the newspaper said that Santos used the checkbook to make fraudulent purchases. Two years later, The Times said, he confessed to the crime and was charged, but the case remains unresolved.
This revelation was the breaking point for Santos' ex-boyfriend, he told the newspaper. "I woke up in the morning, and I packed my stuff all in trash bags, and I called my father, and I left," he said.
Vilarva told The Times he was gullible for believing Santos, who was elected in November, and added that he is worried about the impact the politician's apparent propensity for lying could have if he becomes — and remains — an elected official.
"I would be scared to have someone like that in charge — having so much power in his hands," he said, per The Times.
Insider was unable to reach Santos for comment.
Prosecutors in New York said Wednesday they are investigating Santos.
"The numerous fabrications and inconsistencies associated with Congressman-Elect Santos are nothing short of stunning," said Anne T. Donnelly, a Republican and district attorney in Nassau County, according to The Associated Press.
"The residents of Nassau County and other parts of the third district must have an honest and accountable representative in Congress," Donnelly said, adding: "If a crime was committed in this county, we will prosecute it."