GOP Rep. Santos settles criminal charge in Brazil over stolen checks

Republican New York Rep. George Santos has agreed to a deal with Brazilian prosecutors in which he will confess to stealing a checkbook and pay damages in exchange for dropping the case.

Santos will pay roughly $4,850 as part of the deal reached Thursday, which will be split between charity and the victim of the incident, the New York Times reported. His attorney, Jonymar Vasconcelos, celebrated the deal saying, "[w]ith today’s decision, he is no longer a defendant in Brazil. A clean record." The incident also reportedly involved a pair of shoes.

The deal comes shortly after Santos was indicted on criminal charges by the U.S. Department of Justice for wire wire fraud, money laundering, and stealing public funds. He has pleaded not guilty to 13 counts and was released on a $500,000 bond.

The New York Republican has since begun fundraising off of his indictment, insinuating that the charges were retaliation for questioning the detention of an exiled Chinese billionaire on fraud charges.

"The fight is real & I’m OVER the target, I need your support to keep me fighting for freedom," he tweeted Wednesday. "I asked questions about #MilesGuo & the DOJ indicts me 5 days later!"

He has resisted calls to resign and has filed to run for reelection in 2024.

The embattled lawmaker has previously admitted that he fabricated large portions of his resume while on campaign but has also faced allegations that he performed as a drag queen. Reporting has also called into question his claims that his family fled Nazi Germany to escape the Holocaust.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.