Before duping his 142,000 Republican voters in New York, GOP trickster George Santos pulled a fast one on a Seattle judge. In 2017, during a bail hearing to help out his "family friend" from Brazil — an ATM skimmer who later pleaded guilty to fraud — the Congress imposter boldly fabricated his place of employment, telling the judge, "I am an aspiring politician and I work for Goldman Sachs," according to audio obtained by Politico (listen below, posted by RAP).
"You work for Goldman Sachs in New York?" the judge asked.
"Yup."
This worked so well for George Anthony Devolder Kitara Ravache Zabrowsky Santos, he decided to add the fake job to his fake resume, which then landed him a job as a fake U.S. lawmaker. Funny how life works.
From Politico:
A spokesperson for the bank told The New York Times in its original investigation into Santos' background that there was no record of him working there. He later admitted in a New York Post interview he "never worked directly" for Goldman Sachs, but claimed a financial firm he was employed at, LinkBridge Investors, had "limited partnerships" with the bank.
Santos appeared at the 2017 hearing on behalf of [defendent Gustavo Ribeiro] Trelha using his full name, George Anthony Devolder Santos. …
Trelha was ultimately deported to Brazil in early 2018 after serving seven months in jail and pleading guilty to felony access device fraud. In a telephone interview, Trelha said Santos lied about their relationship, too. Trelha, through a translator, said he met Santos in the fall of 2016 on a Facebook group for Brazilians living in Orlando, Fla., and that his mother died in 2012.
Trelha eventually moved into Santos' Winter Park, Fla., apartment in November 2016, according to a copy of the lease viewed by POLITICO. Santos had moved south from New York City, after he was transferred to a new position at the hospitality website HotelsPro, according to Lilian Cabral, a coworker at HotelsPro in Orlando.
A federal prosecutor who ultimately handled the case described the fraud as "sophisticated," saying Trelha's three-day skimming spree in Seattle was only "the tip of the iceberg," according to a court transcript first reported by CBS News.
