US Rep. George Santos pleads not guilty on federal criminal charges

Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., leaves a House GOP conference meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 25, 2023. Santos has been arrested on federal criminal charges. The Republican congressman has faced outrage over revelations he fabricated parts of his life story, including lying about being a wealthy Wall Street dealmaker. Santos was arrested Wednesday. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

Updated at 2:39 p.m.

U.S. Rep. George Santos, the New York Republican infamous for fabricating his life story, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges he duped donors, stole from his campaign and lied to Congress about being a millionaire, all while cheating to collect unemployment benefits he didn’t deserve.

Santos’ 13-count federal indictment was a reckoning for a web of fraud and deceit that prosecutors say overlapped with his fantastical public image as a wealthy businessman — a fictional biography that began to unravel after he won election last fall.