The life of former New York Rep. George Santos, who was expelled from the House last week, will be dramatized and likely lambasted in a new movie in the works from HBO Films, Deadline reports.
The production company optioned the rights to a new book from Mark Chiusano, The Fabulist: The Lying, Hustling, Grifting, Stealing, and Very American Legend of George Santos, that came out last week. Frank Rich, of Veep and Succession, will executive produce along with Mike Makowsky, who will also serve as writer. Chiusano will be a consulting producer.
According to Deadline, the film promises to be a romp, telling “the story of a seemingly minor local race that wound up a battle for the soul of Long Island, and unexpectedly carved the path for the world’s most famous (and now disgraced) congressman. It follows the Gatsby-esque journey of a man from nowhere who exploited the system, waged war on truth and swindled one of the wealthiest districts in the country to achieve his American Dream.”
Congress gave Santos the boot (after many prior unsuccessful attempts) on Friday, following the release of an incriminating report from the House Ethics Committee that discovered “substantial evidence of potential violations of federal criminal law.” The committee found that Santos repeatedly transferred funds from his campaign to his personal checking account, where he used the money to make purchases at Hermès, OnlyFans, and Sephora, in addition to paying off his credit cards. Santos also reported to the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) payments for beauty and spa treatments, a luxurious Hamptons getaway and taxi and hotel charges during his honeymoon. The committee is referring the matter to the Justice Department.
Santos is already facing 36 federal charges and has pleaded not guilty. He was arrested in May and charged with 13 counts, including lying to Congress, wire fraud and money laundering. Prosecutors charged him with 23 additional counts in a superseding indictment this past October. Those charges include conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States, identity theft, wire fraud and lying to the FEC.
“The defendant — a Congressman — allegedly stole the identities of family members and used the credit card information of political contributors to fraudulently inflate his campaign coffers,” Long Island’s Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly, a Republican, said when Santos was charged.
“Santos falsely inflated the campaign’s reported receipts with non-existent loans and contributions that were either fabricated or stolen,” said U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace.
The disgraced congressman has promised to seek revenge against those in the Republican Party who expelled him — the vote to oust Santos was 311-114 — although it seems that the film’s audience will get the last laugh.
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