When he heads to prison next week, former Rep. George Santos will leave behind a campaign committee that is out of compliance with the Federal Election Commission and hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt.
Devolder-Santos for Congress has yet to file a July quarterly report, even though the deadline for committees required to file was July 15. Although Santos is no longer in office or campaigning, campaign committees are required to file regular reports until they are officially terminated by the FEC.
The campaign committee was $811,092.07 in debt — most of which Santos loaned his campaign and had not yet repaid — as of its most recent FEC filing in April. It also owed $181,000 to former staffers and various campaign servicers. The committee had $407.65 cash on hand. Santos did not respond to a request for comment.
Two debtees told NOTUS they have not been paid since the April filing. Most of the debts have been outstanding for more than a year.
Trending
“Yes he does still owe me the money,” one former staffer who requested anonymity told NOTUS in an email, saying that they were paid only part of a sum they were promised. The amount reflected on the FEC filing was in excess of what the former staffer would expect. “I am not sure where the other 500.00 is from but who really knows lol.”
Jason Boles, formerly linked to Frontrunner and RTA Strategy and the committee’s most recent treasurer, said the committee owes no money to him personally but has outstanding debts to his business, Tabularius Group. Boles resigned from the campaign in May.
“George is a friend, and I think everybody pouncing on him is ridiculous, but I don’t have any knowledge of what’s going on,” he said.
The committee was still in debt to a number of companies as of April, according to its filing. It owed the most — $68,727.79 — to Dickinson Wright, a law firm, for legal services. It also had outstanding balances with Il Bacco, a Queens Italian restaurant, and owes thousands to former staffers and campaign servicers.
As of the April filings, the committee owed money to Frontrunner and RTA Strategy. Rick Thompson, the owner of the two businesses, said that to his knowledge, the committee does not owe his companies any money.
Other debtees did not respond to a request for comment.
The people and companies owed money by Santos’ campaign may be waiting a while for repayment. The campaign committee has not appointed a new treasurer since Boles’ departure in May, although it is supposed to within 10 days to keep the campaign active. A campaign committee cannot raise or spend money without a treasurer.
If Santos’ committee fails to file a quarterly report, the committee faces potential fines.
However, the FEC is in a de facto shutdown — President Donald Trump has stalled on appointing a commissioner and restoring the number of officials required for the agency to enforce campaign finance laws.
Santos must turn himself in to federal custody by July 25 to begin serving time on a seven-year sentence for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
He said in April 2024 that he would pay back everyone at some point.
“The one thing I can tell you is that everyone that’s ever worked for me has always gotten paid,” Santos told Slate. “Obviously, the circumstances here are a little extenuating, but yes, everybody will be paid eventually.”
Author
