George Santos is being met with questions about his involvement in the sale of a superyacht between two campaign donors ahead of the November elections.
Santos, 34, in September arranged the sale of the 141-foot Namaste – an Italian-designed luxury yacht that sleeps 12 in five cabins and features an infinity pool with a waterfall and underwater lights.
The yacht was sold by John Ruiz, a lawyer and billionaire businessman, and his wife Mayra, who was one of Santos’ biggest donors. She donated $10,800 to the Santos Joint Fundraising Committee in March 2022 and was one of the first to donate following his election victory.
The buyer was another big donor, Raymond Tantillo, a Long Island auto dealer, who gave Santos more than $17,000. Tantillo’s two ex-wives also generously supported Santos’s political endeavors.
The sale, first reported by The New York Times, was legal, but Santos’ role in it could have violated campaign finance laws if he used the proceeds for his campaign.
The 141-foot Namaste now known as Neverland was sold by Mayra Ruiz and bought by Raymond Tantillo – both donors to Santos’ campaign
Santos is seen during Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on February 7th
Raymond Tantillo (left), a Long Island car dealer, bought the yacht from Mayra Ruiz (right) and her husband John, a Miami attorney and businessman
The campaign contribution cap could have been exceeded if the sale was aimed at boosting his campaign.
It could also have been illegal for Santos to have linked his referral fee to any past or future donations in any way.
It’s unclear how much money he made bringing the two sides together – if he actually got paid for his services this time.
Santos has previously explained that he makes a living by bringing wealthy people together – a job he described as “capital initiation”.
In December, Santos told Semafor that if a customer wanted to sell an airplane or a boat, he would “put out feelers” among his contacts.
He told the site he’s landed a few million dollar deals.
“If you’re looking at a $20 million yacht, my brokerage fee can be anywhere from $200,000 to $400,000,” he said.
Namaste was priced at $20 million and changed hands in November 2022 for $18.75 million – it was also rebranded and is now called Neverland.
Namaste is pictured before launch. It was built by the Italian company Mangusta
John Ruiz’s attorney, Christine Lugo, told the New York Times that he “does not know who George Santos is and has never contributed to his campaigns or done business with him.”
Tantillo’s attorney, Robert Curtis Gottlieb, said: “I have every reason to believe that Mr. Tantillo will not be charged for anything, including the purchase of a boat or campaign donations.”
Santos’ team has not commented on his role.
The yacht sale is just the latest in a long line of strange stories about the New York congressman who allegedly lied about his education, family life, career and contacts.
Santos filed documents Tuesday showing his intention to seek re-election despite being ordered to resign amid ongoing criminal and ethics investigations into lies he told while running for office.
Filing with the Federal Electoral Commission doesn’t necessarily mean Santos will run for a second term, but it does allow his campaign committees to continue raising money, some of which could be used to pay future legal fees.
The money he’s raising could also be used to repay more than $700,000 he allegedly borrowed for his campaign.
The New York Republican has admitted to lying about his Jewish heritage, Wall Street background, college degrees and history as a star volleyball player.
But serious questions about his finances have also surfaced — including the source of what he claims to have been a quickly amassed fortune despite recent financial troubles, including evictions and thousands of dollars in arrears in rent.
He has described the forgeries as harmless embellishments on his CV.
Santos, spotted on Tuesday, is facing multiple questions about his lies
Santos’ Republican colleagues have turned against him. Anthony D’Esposito (center) is seen March 7 flanked by two other New York City congressmen – Nick Lalota (right) and Brandon Williams (left) – introducing legislation barring members of Congress from media appearances and book stores to benefit if convicted of a crime
Pressure on him to resign came almost immediately after the New York Times exposed inconsistencies in his public records. Other New York Republicans called for his resignation, saying he had deceived voters and his own party with his lies.
In 2017, he was charged in Pennsylvania with criminal theft in connection with bad checks apparently used to buy puppies from dog breeders, according to an attorney who said she helped the Republican on the case.
However, these allegations were later dropped, according to the lawyer.
As a young man, he faced charges in Brazil – still unsolved – for alleging he used a fraudulent check to buy clothes.