Watch: Republican George Santos expected in New York federal court

George Santos, US representative for New York’s 3rd congressional district, surrendered to the authorities on Wednesday and is currently in custody at a federal courthouse, according to The New York Times.

Federal prosecutors accused Mr Santos of lying on financial disclosure forms he filed to the House of Representatives.

He has been charged with 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.

Prosecutors also allege that Mr Santos spent thousands of campaign finance dollars on personal expenses, including luxury designer clothing and credit card payments.

The New York congressman came under pressure to resign after a series of revelations emerged related to his personal background and campaign finances.

Democratic House leader, Hakeem Jeffries of New York said on Wednesday that “the party of George Santos and Marjorie Taylor Greene cannot be trusted to govern. Not now. Not ever”.

“This is news to me,” Mr Santos told The Associated Press. “You’re the first to call me about this.”

GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has been urged to remove Mr Santos from the House.