Gustavo Ribeiro Trelha, convicted of fraud for a 2017 credit card skimming operation in Seattle, alleged that the controversial Rep. George Santos (R-NY), his former roommate, was the mastermind behind the operations.
In a sworn statement sent to the FBI, the US Secret Service New York office, and the US Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York on Tuesday, Trelha claimed that Santos had a warehouse full of equipment for skimming credit cards and printing fake ones in Orlando, Florida.
In a declaration obtained by Politico, Trelha categorically stated “I am coming forward today to declare that the person in charge of the crime of credit card fraud when I was arrested was George Santos / Anthony Devolder.”
“Santos taught me how to skim card information and how to clone cards. He gave me all the materials and taught me how to put skimming devices and cameras on ATMs,” Trelha added.
“He had a lot of material — parts, printers, blank ATM and credit cards to be painted and engraved with stolen account and personal information,” he alleged, further stating that Santos gave him some of the equipment stored at his warehouse.
Trelha then claims he flew out to Seattle with a “deal with Santos” in place that “50% for him and 50% for me.”
The scam fell apart when Trelha was caught on a security camera removing a skimming device from a Seattle-area ATM, according to the report.
Additionally, Trelha confided that he took the fall for the Long Island representative because “Santos threatened my friends in Florida that I must not say that he was my boss,” and that the congressman promised to hire the lawyer used by Mexican drug kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán – which he did not.
“Santos did not help me to get out of jail. He also stole the money that I had collected for my bail,” Trelha told federal investigators.
It seems Rep. George is wearing too many hats all at the same time – liar, scam mastermind, and thief.
How come he’s still representing the American people?
NOTE: George Santos in ione interview is from YouTube screengrab