The Lying, Hustling, Grifting, Stealing, and Very American Legend of George Santos
December 18, 2023
The deceits, frauds, and unlikely triumphs of the Republican congressman from New York are untangled in this labyrinthine exposé. Journalist Chiusano (Marine Park) explores the gap between Santos’s public image during his 2022 congressional campaign as a Wall Street highflier from a wealthy family with Jewish ancestry—none of which was true—and his reality as the son of working-class Brazilian immigrants in Queens. Chiusano’s colorful portrait of Santos’s early career is a tapestry of petty rackets, including check fraud charges in Brazil, a probable green-card marriage, and a charitable scam called Friends of Pets United (Santos allegedly set up a Go Fund Me page to fund cancer surgery for a homeless veteran’s dog, then pocketed the $3,000 he raised and let the pooch die). Pandering to MAGA diehards as a congressional candidate, Santos generated a flood of campaign funds that he skimmed with the help of shady accounting. The exposure of his frauds after his election victory, rather than ruining him, proved an apotheosis, Chiusano contends: Santos became a folk hero of sorts for shamelessly lying his way to the top of what is widely perceived as an intrinsically dishonest profession. Combining punchy reportage with thoughtful analysis, Chiusano’s richly textured profile makes Santos into a fitting embodiment of today’s declining public faith in politics.
February 1, 2024
PEN/Hemingway honoree Chiusano (Marine Park: Stories) tells the as-yet-unfinished story of George Anthony Devolder Santos, who represented New York's 3rd district in the U.S. House of Representatives from January to December 2023, when he was expelled for ethics violations. Chiusano's tireless research and meticulous fact-checking reveal the behind-the-scenes truth about how this infamous charlatan duped gullible voters while constantly lying, hustling, and seeking out new ways to defraud. Chiusano recounts Santos's background, including scams he ran in Brazil and his elaborate lies about his family and ethnic background. This vital book ends after Santos's election to the House but just before his expulsion, suggesting a possible forthcoming updated edition. Award-winning narrator Andr� Santana shines in his precise delivery of the biography of arguably the greatest chameleon, con man, and, eventually, ridiculed representative in U.S. history. VERDICT Chiusano's case study succeeds in revealing the roots of Santos's shameless behavior and never-ending lies. This account of how an accomplished scammer rose in national politics is both compelling and sickening. Highly recommended, and an essential purchase for all New York libraries.--Dale Farris
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