Crypto Involvement of Disgraced U.S. Congressman George Santos Resembles Nigerian Prince-Like Scheme: NYT
George Santos, a newly elected member of the House of Representatives, is currently facing a serious legal predicament with thirteen felony charges pending against him. The charges include alleged embezzlement of contributions from his supporters, fraudulent collection of unemployment benefits, and providing false information in his disclosures to the House. Surprisingly, amidst these allegations, one of his peculiar endeavors involved cryptocurrency, drawing parallels to the infamous "Nigerian prince" email scam, as reported by The New York Times.
Per the information provided by a campaign donor who spoke with the Times, Santos and two other individuals approached him with a proposition. They asserted that a wealthy Polish citizen expressed interest in purchasing cryptocurrency, but was unable to do so due to frozen assets. While the reasons behind the asset freeze were not disclosed, nor was the identity of the Polish investor revealed, the trio requested the donor's assistance in establishing a limited liability company. This entity was intended to facilitate access to the funds for the aforementioned cryptocurrency purchase.
The donor was astonished by the striking resemblance of their pitch to the infamous Nigerian prince email scam, where a wealthy individual from abroad seeks assistance in accessing frozen assets. Curious to learn more, the donor inquired further, prompting Santos and their associates to request a non-disclosure agreement. However, when the donor sought modifications to the agreement, the discussions came to an abrupt halt.
The plan implicated Santos, a former Republican state assemblyman Michael LiPetri, and Bryant Park Associates, a company owned by Republican donor Dominick Sartorio, as stated in the report. LiPetri informed The Times that he had knowledge of Santos' endeavors, but he wasn't extensively involved and emphasized that no agreement was eventually reached.
An inquiry seeking a response for this story, directed to Santos' lawyer, remained unanswered at the time of reporting.
Santos, a 35-year-old representative of New York's 3rd congressional district, faced a March arrest on thirteen felony charges but entered a plea of not guilty.
The convergence of crypto and politics has entered a new phase, extending beyond conventional regulatory debates and delving into more intricate - and occasionally unconventional - domains. During a Twitter Spaces event on Wednesday, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent candidate for the U.S. Democratic Presidential position, made a long-awaited revelation, admitting to possessing bitcoin and hailing it as a "currency of freedom." Moreover, he pledged that if elected, he would advocate backing the U.S. dollar with bitcoin and granting bitcoin tax exemptions. This bold stance showcases the increasing influence of cryptocurrencies in the realm of political discourse.
