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Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) is in custody Wednesday after being indicted on 13 federal charges over accusations that he misled donors and misrepresented his finances to the public and government agencies.

The charges comprise seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives. 

He is in custody at the federal courthouse on Long Island, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. Santos will be arraigned at approximately 1 p.m.

The Hill reached out to Santos’s attorney for comment. The congressman’s congressional office referred The Hill to his counsel.

Santos’s surrender came one day after reports surfaced that federal prosecutors had filed criminal charges against the congressman. The charges, however, remained unsealed until Wednesday morning.

If convicted of all the charges, he faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.

“This indictment seeks to hold Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement. “Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself. He used political contributions to line his pockets, unlawfully applied for unemployment benefits that should have gone to New Yorkers who had lost their jobs due to the pandemic, and lied to the House of Representatives.”

The New York Republican has been the subject of intense scrutiny since before he was sworn in amid questions about his resume and biography. A number of entities are said to be looking into him, in addition to the House Ethics Committee, which launched an investigation in March.

Several lawmakers from both parties have been calling for the congressman to resign, a number of whom reupped that stance after news surfaced of the charges against him.

Some have also said he should be expelled.

On Wednesday, Republican Rep. Tony Gonzalez (Texas) joined the ranks of those calling for Santos’s expulsion.

“The people of New York’s 3rd district deserve a voice in congress. George Santos should be immediately expelled from Congress and a special election initiated at the soonest possible date,” he wrote on Twitter.

Despite the indictment, however, Santos can remain in Congress and continue to represent his district.

According to House Rules, if a member is charged with criminal conduct as a felony that carries a sentence of two or more years in prison they should resign from committees and step aside from party leadership until legal proceedings result in an acquittal, are dismissed or if charges are reduced to less than a felony. Santos does not currently serve in House GOP leadership, and he stepped down from his committee assignments in January amid his growing controversy.

On Tuesday, amid reports that prosecutors filed charges against Santos, Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) — who has stopped short of calling on Santos to resign — said he would deal with the developing situation as he has with lawmakers who have been indicted in the past.

“We’ll just follow the same pattern we always have, right, if a person is indicted, they’re not on committees, they have the right to vote but they have to go to trial,” McCarthy told reporters during a press conference.

And on Wednesday morning, after the charges were unsealed, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) and House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik — the highest-ranking New York Republican — both did not say that Santos should resign, stressing letting the legal process play out.

Scalise did, however, call the charges “serious.”

“There is a legal process, the charges just came out, we just saw some of them this morning. And so in America there’s a presumption of innocence, but they’re serious charges, he’s gonna have to go through the legal process,” Scalise said at a press conference.

“As I’ve said from the very beginning on questions on this subject, this legal process is going to play itself out,” Stefanik echoed. “Unfortunately, this is not the first time a member of Congress from either party has been indicted. There are a set of rules and as the majority leader stated, he voluntarily had stepped down from his committees.”

The 13 counts revolve around three schemes in which Santos is accused of misrepresenting his finances to the public and government agencies.

More than half of the charges — five wire fraud counts and three counts of money laundering — relate to allegations Santos directed an unnamed person to communicate with potential donors to falsely tell them their funds would be used to purchase television advertisements for Santos’s campaign.

But the donations were instead purportedly transferred to Santos’s personal bank accounts, and he used the funds for personal expenses, including purchasing designer clothing and discharging his personal debts, according to the indictment. 

The indictment also alleges that Santos fraudulently received more than $24,000 in unemployment benefits after falsely claiming he was unemployed during the early months of the pandemic. Prosecutors charged Santos with theft of public money and an additional two counts of wire fraud. Trump knocks judge, jury after being found liable for sexual battery, defamation Carroll says verdict is win for every woman who ‘suffered because she was not believed’

The indictment further includes two counts of false statements to the House of Representatives over Santos’s financial disclosures in May 2020 and September 2022 during his congressional campaigns.

Santos is accused of failing to disclose various income sources while in other instances overstating the income he received. Santos also falsely represented the deposits he had in two bank accounts, according to the indictment. 

Updated at 11:01 a.m.

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Wolf Hall director on streaming levies: ‘The government needs the guts to stand up to the bully in the White House’

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April 10, 2025

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Wolf Hall director on streaming levies: 'The government needs the guts to stand up to the bully in the White House'

The director of hit BBC period drama Wolf Hall says the government “needs to have enough guts to stand up to the bully in the White House” to protect the future of public service broadcasting.

Peter Kosminsky told Sky News’ Breakfast with Anna Jones that calls for a streaming levy to support British high-end TV production was urgently needed to stop the “decimation” of the UK industry.

His comments follow the release of a new report from the Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) committee, calling for the government to improve support measures for the UK’s high-quality drama sector while safeguarding the creation of distinctly British content.

Specifically, the report calls for streamers – including Netflix, Amazon, Apple TV+ and Disney+, all of which are based in the US – to commit to paying 5% of their UK subscriber revenue into a cultural fund to help finance drama with a specific interest to British audiences.

Kosminsky, who made the case for the levy and gave evidence to the committee in January, called global tariffs recently introduced by Donald Trump “the elephant in the room”.

He said he feared they would make the government reticent to introduce a streaming levy, but said it was a necessary step to “defend a hundred years of honourable tradition of public service broadcasting in this country and not see it go to the wall because [the government are] frightened of the consequences from the bully in the States”.

Mark Rylance (L) and Damian Lewis in Wolf Hall: The Mirror And The Light. Pic: BBC
Image:
The second series of Wolf Hall, starring Mark Rylance (L) and Damian Lewis, nearly didn’t happen. Pic: BBC

Kosminsky also noted that the streamers would be able to apply for money from the fund themselves, as long as they were in co-production with a UK public service broadcaster.

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Earlier this year, a White House memorandum referenced levies on US streaming services, calling them “one-sided, anti-competitive policies” that “violate American sovereignty”.

In response to the call for streaming levies, a Netflix spokesperson said such a move would “penalise audiences” and “diminish competitiveness”.

They added: “The UK is Netflix’s biggest production hub outside of North America – and we want it to stay that way.”

The Association for Commercial Broadcasters and On-Demand Services (COBA) said such a levy “risks damaging UK growth and the global success story of the UK TV sector,” and “would risk dampening streamers’ existing investment in domestic content and would inevitably increase costs for businesses”.

Pic: BBC
Image:
Pic: BBC

COBA said it welcomed the committee’s support for targeted tax breaks for domestic drama.

Kosminsky also told Sky News the second series of Wolf Hall was nearly called off just six weeks before it was due to start shooting due to financial pressures, adding: “It was only because the producer, the director, writer and the leading actor all agreed to take huge cuts in their own remuneration that the show actually got made.”

He said that both he and the show’s executive producer, Sir Colin Callender, had “worked on the show unpaid for 11 years on the basis that we would get a payment when the show went into production”, calling it “a bitter blow” to see that disappear.

Working in public service broadcasting for his entire career, Kosminsky said it was “absolutely heartbreaking for me and others like me to see that the industry we have been nurtured by and we care about is being decimated”.

While he said he was a “huge fan of the streamers”, he said it was their “very deep pockets” that had “driven up the price of what we do”, to the point where the traditional broadcasters can no longer afford to make high-end television.

Pic: Netflix
Image:
Adolescence. Pic: Netflix

Just this week, Adolescence, created by British talent Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, became the fourth most popular English-language series in Netflix’s history with 114 million views.

But while some very British shows might get taken on by the streamers due to universal appeal, Kosminsky said dramas including ITV’s Mr Bates Vs The Post Office and Hillsborough, and BBC drama Three Girls about the grooming of young girls by gangs in the north of England were examples of game-changing productions that could be lost in the future.

He warned: “These are not dramas that the streamers would ever make, they’re about free speech in this country. That’s part of what we think of as a democratic society, where we can make these dramas and programmes that challenge on issues of public policy that would never be of any interest in America.”

Mr Bates vs the Post Office. Pic: ITV/Shutterstock
Image:
Mr Bates vs the Post Office. Pic: ITV/Shutterstock

The CMS report comes following an inquiry into British film and high-end television, which considered how domestic and inward investment production was being affected by the rise of streaming platforms.

Chairwoman of the CMS committee, Dame Caroline Dinenage, said “there will be countless distinctly British stories that never make it to our screens” unless the government intervenes to “rebalance the playing field” between streamers and public service broadcasters (PSBs).

A DCMS spokesperson said: “We acknowledge the challenges facing our brilliant film and TV industry and are working with it through our Industrial Strategy to consider what more needs to be done to unlock growth and develop the skills pipeline. We thank the committee for its report which we will respond to in due course.”

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Stanley Cup playoff watch: Which games matter the most Thursday?

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April 10, 2025

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Stanley Cup playoff watch: Which games matter the most Thursday?

Apr 10, 2025, 07:00 AM ET

Hockey fans are close to knowing the identities of the 16 Stanley Cup playoff teams for 2025. But the battles for seeding continue to rage — as does the jockeying for position in the draft lottery order.

Here’s what to monitor during Thursday’s 10-game slate — and we hope you can watch on multiple devices!

Chicago Blackhawks at Boston Bruins
7 p.m. (ESPN+)

These two Original Six franchises will be back in the postseason again at some point, but not this season. Chicago begins the night second in the draft lottery order, three points back of the San Jose Sharks. The Bruins are fourth heading into Thursday night, tied in points with the Philadelphia Flyers.

Detroit Red Wings at Florida Panthers
7 p.m. (ESPN+)

The Red Wings begin the evening eight points behind the Canadiens for the final wild-card spot in the East (Tuesday’s loss to Montreal certainly didn’t help). A regulation loss here eliminates them. After their win Tuesday over the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Panthers are right back in the race atop the Atlantic Division. As play begins Thursday, the Leafs are No. 1 with 100 points and 39 regulation wins, the Tampa Bay Lightning are second (97, 39) and the Panthers are third (94, 36).

Buffalo Sabres at Columbus Blue Jackets
7 p.m. (ESPN+)

The Sabres picked a strange time to go on a heater, as they are 8-2-0 in their last 10; maybe there will be some carry-over to start 2025-26? In any event, Buffalo begins the evening eighth in the draft lotto order, three spots (and three points) ahead of Columbus. The Blue Jackets stayed in the playoff race probably longer than anyone outside their dressing room believed they would, but they’ll be officially eliminated with another loss.

Carolina Hurricanes at Washington Capitals
7:30 p.m. (ESPN+/Hulu/Disney+)

There was some nastiness the last time these two squads played; will we see retribution — particularly against Carolina’s Jalen Chatfield — on Thursday? As for the long-term impact, Washington is locked in as the No. 1 seed in the Metro, and Carolina needs one point to clinch the No. 2 seed over the New Jersey Devils.

New York Rangers at New York Islanders
7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)

From two Metro teams that have clinched a playoff spot to two who are on the cusp of elimination (after qualifying last spring). This rivalry game has a bit less juice than usual given the reality of the mathematics. The Rangers are currently 10th in the draft lottery order, the Isles 12th.

Winnipeg Jets at Dallas Stars
8 p.m. (ESPN+)

If the Stars have plans to overtake the Jets for the top overall seed in the West, they’ll need to win this one. Winnipeg enters the game four points (and one regulation win) ahead. So it’s not completely a must-win for the Stars’ quest for the No. 1 spot, but it’d certainly be a lot better for those chances if they won.

Vancouver Canucks at Colorado Avalanche
9 p.m. (ESPN+)

The Canucks were officially eliminated Wednesday night, and are currently 15th in the draft lottery order, a point back of the Hockey Club. As for the Avalanche, they are nearly locked into position as the Central’s No. 3 seed.

Nashville Predators at Utah Hockey Club
9 p.m. (ESPN+)

The HC has been playing inspired hockey as of late, but it was too late to get the final playoff spot, as they were eliminated Wednesday night. Meanwhile, Nashville begins play third in the draft lotto order, 10 points behind Chicago and seven ahead of the No. 4 Flyers.

Seattle Kraken at Vegas Golden Knights
10 p.m. (ESPN+)

This wasn’t the best season in Seattle Kraken history, though the club will likely get a top-10 draft pick this summer to continue the build; heading into Thursday, the Kraken are sixth in the draft lottery order, one point behind the Flyers and Bruins, and two ahead of the Penguins and Sabres.

Anaheim Ducks at Los Angeles Kings
10 p.m. (ESPN+/Hulu/Disney+)

Speaking of the Ducks, a win over their SoCal rivals would diminish the Kings’ chances of catching Vegas for the No. 1 seed in the Pacific; L.A. begins the evening six points back.

With the regular season ending April 17, we’ll help you track it all with the NHL playoff watch. As we traverse the final stretch, we’ll provide details on all the playoff races, along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2025 NHL draft lottery.

Note: Playoff chances are via Stathletes.

Jump ahead:
Current playoff matchups
Today’s schedule
Yesterday’s scores
Expanded standings
Race for No. 1 pick

Current playoff matchups

Eastern Conference

A1 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. WC1 Ottawa Senators
A2 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. A3 Florida Panthers
M1 Washington Capitals vs. WC2 Montreal Canadiens
M2 Carolina Hurricanes vs. M3 New Jersey Devils

Western Conference

C1 Winnipeg Jets vs. WC2 St. Louis Blues
C2 Dallas Stars vs. C3 Colorado Avalanche
P1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. WC1 Minnesota Wild
P2 Los Angeles Kings vs. P3 Edmonton Oilers

Thursday’s games

Note: All times ET. All games not on TNT or NHL Network are available to stream on ESPN+ (local blackout restrictions apply).

Chicago Blackhawks at Boston Bruins, 7 p.m.
Detroit Red Wings at Florida Panthers, 7 p.m.
Buffalo Sabres at Columbus Blue Jackets, 7 p.m.
Carolina Hurricanes at Washington Capitals, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+/Hulu/Disney+)
New York Rangers at New York Islanders, 7:30 p.m.
Winnipeg Jets at Dallas Stars, 8 p.m.
Vancouver Canucks at Colorado Avalanche, 9 p.m.
Nashville Predators at Utah Hockey Club, 9 p.m.
Seattle Kraken at Vegas Golden Knights, 10 p.m.
Anaheim Ducks at Los Angeles Kings, 10 p.m. (ESPN+/Hulu/Disney+)

Wednesday’s scoreboard

Toronto Maple Leafs 4, Tampa Bay Lightning 3 (OT)
Philadelphia Flyers 8, New York Rangers 5
Minnesota Wild 8, San Jose Sharks 7 (OT)
Edmonton Oilers 4, St. Louis Blues 3
Anaheim Ducks 4, Calgary Flames 3 (OT)

Expanded standings

Atlantic Division

Points: 100
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: A1
Games left: 4
Points pace: 105.1
Next game: vs. MTL (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 97
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: A2
Games left: 4
Points pace: 102.0
Next game: vs. DET (Friday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 94
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: A3
Games left: 4
Points pace: 98.8
Next game: vs. DET (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 90
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 4
Points pace: 94.6
Next game: vs. MTL (Friday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 87
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 4
Points pace: 91.5
Next game: @ OTT (Friday)
Playoff chances: 97.7%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 84.1
Next game: @ FLA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0.4%
Tragic number: 3

Points: 76
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 80.9
Next game: @ CBJ (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 73
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 3
Points pace: 75.8
Next game: vs. CHI (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Metro Division

Points: 107
Regulation wins: 42
Playoff position: M1
Games left: 5
Points pace: 114.0
Next game: vs. CAR (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 96
Regulation wins: 41
Playoff position: M2
Games left: 5
Points pace: 102.2
Next game: @ WSH (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 89
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: M3
Games left: 4
Points pace: 93.6
Next game: vs. PIT (Friday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 84.1
Next game: vs. NYR (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0.8%
Tragic number: 3

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 84.1
Next game: vs. BUF (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0.3%
Tragic number: 3

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 83.1
Next game: @ NYI (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0.7%
Tragic number: 1

Points: 76
Regulation wins: 22
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 3
Points pace: 78.9
Next game: @ NJ (Friday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 73
Regulation wins: 21
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 76.7
Next game: vs. NYI (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Central Division

Points: 110
Regulation wins: 42
Playoff position: C1
Games left: 4
Points pace: 115.6
Next game: @ DAL (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 106
Regulation wins: 41
Playoff position: C2
Games left: 4
Points pace: 111.4
Next game: vs. WPG (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 100
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: C3
Games left: 3
Points pace: 103.8
Next game: vs. VAN (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 93
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 3
Points pace: 96.5
Next game: @ CGY (Friday)
Playoff chances: 91.8%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 93
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 2
Points pace: 95.3
Next game: @ SEA (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 97.2%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 84
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 88.3
Next game: vs. NSH (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 64
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 67.3
Next game: @ UTA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 54
Regulation wins: 19
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 56.8
Next game: @ BOS (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Pacific Division

Points: 103
Regulation wins: 43
Playoff position: P1
Games left: 4
Points pace: 108.3
Next game: vs. SEA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 97
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: P3
Games left: 5
Points pace: 103.3
Next game: vs. ANA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 95
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: P2
Games left: 4
Points pace: 99.9
Next game: vs. SJ (Friday)
Playoff chances: 99.6%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 88
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 92.5
Next game: vs. MIN (Friday)
Playoff chances: 11.3%
Tragic number: 4

Points: 85
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 89.4
Next game: @ COL (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 78
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 82.0
Next game: @ LA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 3
Points pace: 76.8
Next game: @ VGK (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 51
Regulation wins: 14
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 53.6
Next game: @ EDM (Friday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Note: A “y” means that the team has clinched the division title. An “x” means that the team has clinched a playoff berth. An “e” means that the team has been eliminated from playoff contention.

Race for the No. 1 pick

The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process are here. Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman for the OHL’s Erie Otters, is No. 1 on the draft board.

Points: 51
Regulation wins: 14

Points: 54
Regulation wins: 19

Points: 64
Regulation wins: 23

Points: 73
Regulation wins: 25

Points: 73
Regulation wins: 21

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 28

Points: 76
Regulation wins: 22

Points: 76
Regulation wins: 28

Points: 78
Regulation wins: 24

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 32

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 25

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 27

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 28

Points: 84
Regulation wins: 28

Points: 85
Regulation wins: 27

Points: 88
Regulation wins: 28

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Wild Wednesday: Celebrini 1 of 4 to net hat trick

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17 mins ago

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April 10, 2025

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Wild Wednesday: Celebrini 1 of 4 to net hat trick

  • Associated Press

Apr 10, 2025, 12:26 AM ET

There were plenty of goals scored in the NHL on Wednesday night, and four players accounted for a bulk of them.

Minnesota’s Joel Eriksson Ek and San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini traded hat tricks in one contest, and Toronto’s Matthew Knies and Philadelphia’s Tyson Foerster also had three-goal games. The four three-goal efforts in the first three games of the five-game schedule were the most in the NHL since five hat tricks on April 1, 2023.

In the highest scoring game of the night, Eriksson Ek had a career-high four goals in his return from a lower-body injury in the Wild’s 8-7 overtime victory over the Sharks. San Jose was led by Celebrini, a rookie star who finished with three goals and two assists.

Knies had his second hat trick of the season for the Maple Leafs in a 4-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Foerster posted his first NHL hat trick for the Flyers in an 8-5 win over the New York Rangers.

The NHL had three three-hat trick days this season on Dec. 12, Dec. 27, Jan. 8 and April 5.

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