Until a New York Times exposé on George Santos revealed exaggerations in his resume, finances, and even his family history, few knew about the alleged allegations - except readers of The North Shore Leader, a local Long Island newspaper with a reach of about 20,000.
Before the 2022 election, The North Shore Leader said it wanted to endorse a Republican candidate for New York's 3rd congressional district. “But the GOP nominee - George Santos - is so bizarre, unprincipled and sketchy that we cannot,” the newspaper said in its endorsement of Democrat Robert Zimmerman.
Even at the time the paper said that fed-up fellow Republicans were calling him "George Scam-tos."
In a list of complaints about the candidate, The North Shore Leader called out Santos’ policy stances on abortion and Ukraine. It also pointed out that his claim to real estate ownership was false.
“He brags about his ‘wealth’ and his ‘mansions’ in the Hamptons – but he really lives in a row house in Queens,” the paper wrote.
They said he was involved in a multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme shut down by the SEC, questioned the use of money raised for his campaign, and his net-worth.
“Santos had no visible campaign until a few weeks ago - no offices, no signs, no mailings, no significant ‘voter contact,’” the paper reported.
Another article said his 2022 personal financial disclosure report claimed he was worth $11 million but the paper discovered that in 2020 his personal financial disclosures “claimed that he had no assets over $5,000 - no bank accounts, no stock accounts, no real property. A net worth barely above ‘zero.’”
They also found that “an investigation of Santos' alleged ‘Hamptons mansion’ showed the house is owned by someone else having nothing to do with Santos, and has a market value of less than $2 million.”
The paper said that one Republican leader asked, “Are we being played as extras in 'The Talented Mr Santos'?"
The paper was vindicated in its reporting when the New York Times and other national media outlets began to question Santos’ integrity.
In a story titled “The Leader Told You So: US Rep-Elect George Santos is a Fraud - and Wanted Criminal” the paper said it had reported on this story months ago.
“In a story first broken by the North Shore Leader over four months ago, the national media has suddenly discovered that US Congressman-elect George Santos (R-Queens / Nassau) - dubbed "George Scam-tos" by many local political observers - is a deepfake liar who has falsified his background, assets, and contacts.”
George Santos is scheduled to be sworn-in on January 1, 2023 to represent New York's 3rd congressional district.