I wouldn’t be surprised if the restaurant owner is somehow linked to him or his staff.

This guy is completely terrible, but this story makes me wonder what would happen if someone investigated all politicians like they investigated Santos. I'd guess we'd have an endless supply of stories like this.

I read somewhere that the restaurant has mob ties.

How the fuck did they not interview the restaurant owner?

What's that in Gabagools?

And many, many times, his reported total was exactly $1 less than the point at which you legally need to provide receipts.

Eh, he also kept reporting his meals as exactly $1 less than the point at which he would legally need to provide a receipt. Everything about the guy is shady AF.

This guy is a piece of shit for the lying but I thought in general that politicians or people on campaigns are allowed to use funds on stuff like this, hotels, business class/first class flights, etc.

The bigger your name, generally the more investigated you’ll be. Trump is going through the shit he’s going through because he decided to run for president. Of course journalists and partisans are going to go through his shit with a fine toothed comb. The same thing happened to Obama, the Bushes, McCain, etc.

Think about Obama. They found a video of his pastor giving a sermon that touched on 9/11 when Obama apparently wasn’t even at church that was mildly critical of US foreign policy. That’s how in-depth they looked at his life. McCain has an adopted daughter from Bangladesh. They even combed through her life when she was a child to find something.

So while there might be skeletons in some of their closets. In general, the higher you get, the more scrutiny you get. Don’t run for office if you have unresolved criminal shit in your background (hookers, nannies paid under the table, alcoholism, illicit drug use, etc.). It will come out. And have a story for the resolved criminal shit.

Sadly, you can probably get away with domestic violence.

Commenting here for the time stamp, I suspect this guy never loaned his campaign 700k. It was just an excuse to grift a lump sum from contributors

ha! look at the source. Chatgpt can only spit out so much shit content. It's actually pretty impressive that this rag consistently winds up on the front page.

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Laundry machine

So, that amount was spent over 32 visits to the restaurant. Thats like $800/visit on average. Depending on the size of the party size and food and drinks ordered, it doesn’t seem crazy.

Bingo. Of all his lies, when I saw that number my alarm bells went off because it would be such a simple con. The "money" is already gone and political donors rarely go fishing inside the books of a campaign, win or lose.

And that could be the real twist: brazen con-man wins election when all he was trying to do was fleece some donors.

Netflix, send me my check.

> Insider doesn't know exactly what was on the menu during the 32 separate appearances at Il Bacco — which his campaign lists as "dinner meetings," "fundraising events," and "food and drink" expenses.

Santos is a scum bag but 32 meetings at a restaurant could easily blow $26k. I know people don't want to hear that, but of all his lies this one is one of the more plausible.

Yeah, that’s called money laundering and it’s an old story - especially with restaurants that are “cash only”

Santos sucks but this “article” is trash

They already do, from AOC to Boebert. You can find multiple stories of campaign payments being questioned.

He’s buying wine not fuckin rigatoni

He already admitted he didn't. He changed his campaign finance forms.

> brazen con-man wins election when all he was trying to do was fleece some donors.

You’ve just described the 2016 election.

This is the most important comment and it's buried.

Even more stupidly, it’s one cent! $199.99

While awful, I'm sitting here thinking about how I've accepted rigatoni Bolognese is ~$23.

this is a major reach look at any campaign's records they spend a ton on food for events

Thank you, I should have looked it up instead of going off memory.

And they always came out to exactly $199.99?

But I believe in his mind he thought he could use real money from donors to pay himself back the fake 700k loan. That even if he didn’t win he could net some big money

Edit: I realized not fully reading your comment while driving caused me to summarize exactly what you said, he definitely just wanted the campaign grift

There’s so much going on with this guy guess I missed it

That's what I've said in prior threads, and got downvoted for it. He never really wanted to win, he was just trying to live the lifestyle he thought he deserved off hard to trace donor dollars.

well to be fair most campaigns spend a fuckton of money on dinners, just depends what the dinner was used for if this was a standard use

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Sorry but their math is off. If the bolognese is $23 on the menu, that means it is $28.49 with tax and a 15% tip. So that would be 913 rigatoni bolognese, not the 1,131 that the article claims.

Guy is still an asshole tho.

Must be a good restaurant.

🎶 Bottle of reds, Bottle of whites, perhaps some Rosé instead, whatever you're in the mood for tonight 🎶

I've never worked on a political campaign, but surely 32 meetings/events at the same business during a single election campaign cycle is unusual unless the politician has some sort of personal connection to the business or its owner, right?

EDIT: Did a bit of quick math. He announced his candidacy in June 2021, and between then and November 2022 was about 16 months, which is 64 weeks, which is 448 days. With 32 meetings, that comes out to a meeting/event there once every 14 days (or once every two weeks).

> It's actually pretty impressive that this rag consistently winds up on the front page.

Haha. I didn't read the article and didn't know what the source was.. I read your comment and immediately said "Business Insider"

AKA 1/3 of all posts to the cess pool that is r/politics

And where in the article does it say this is from Chatgpt?

He’s got the FUPA to show form it as well.

Yeah, doesn’t nearly rise to the eyebrow-raising level of the average Santos story, and surely wouldn’t stand out if one went digging into dining and catering budgets of other campaigns. The 26K was spent over 32 separate occasions. Alright well sure 26K buys a lot of rigatoni bolognese, but within realm of typical political campaign catering expenses — fundraisers, wine-and-dines with donors and endorsers, lunch meetings with staff, consultants, etc — it doesn’t buy much at all. It buys a little more if you do a lot of it at the same place, and if you’re running in New York, it’s probably wise to pick a New York family owned Italian restaurant, rather than a Chicago family owned Italian restaurant. 🤷

15% tip?

Cheap fk

This is called structuring, which is highly illegal and a huge issue

Probably one of the things for which he’s currently being investigated.

I don't really want to give George Santos any benefit of the doubt but that's actually not that unreasonable if the office picked up dinner for the staff with some regularity. I mean I did two dinner seminars a week prior to COVID and put about $100,000 on my business credit card every year at local restaurants. That's not even including picking up the tab for food during weekly call sessions, etc.

I don't know how long that bill is over but if it's a year then that works out to $500 a week and if the rigatoni is $23 then that's two weekly meals for a relatively small office. Add in drinks or dessert and that's one weekly meal for a relatively small office. He should resign but I don't actually see anything glaring about this.

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Rumored to have a connection to the Lucchese family. The restaurant itself is pretty good, my parents live about a 5 minute drive from the place.

Business Insider started as a low quality clickbait social media site (think early era buzzfeed), but it pretends to be reputable.

I wouldn't be surprised to learn that most of its content now is being posted with zero oversight from an actual journalist or writer.

Sorry but with taxes(~8% in NY) and tips (let' say 15%), you can't buy 1,131 rigatoni bolognese ($23)

x * (23 + 23 * 0.08) + 26000 * 0.15 = 26000
x = (26000 - 26000 * 0.15) / (23 + 23 * 0.08)
x = 889.69

You can actually buy 889 rigatoni bolognese in that restaurant.

If you're really hungry, 974 penne vodka!

getting Santos-fatigue. eerily similar to Trump-fatigue. and worse because it seems increasingly by design.

I'd hope so, how else are they going to clean their floors?

Sure, but saying it's written by an AI is just spreading the misinformation the poster was complaining about.

Wait why didnt he say he owns the place and not pay?

look there are a lot of things I will rip on a politician for but eating a shitton of Italian food ain’t it.

$26,000 for one fuckin dinner, Jordy!

Joey Il Bacco is no more tied to the mob than any italian restaurant owner in queens. Mobsters have to eat somewhere and the restaurant owner has to cater to them when they get there because they usually spend big money and throw big tips around.

Infinitely more interesting than any organized crime ties is the fact that Il Bacco is ALSO the place that hosted the Republican Christmas party during quarantine in 2020.

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/531264-republican-clubs-indoor-holiday-party-in-queens-goes-viral-for-conga/

Hmm...Where have I heard this story before 🤔?

In my head I saw Brazilian con-man

Reported on expense report that day as: $199.99

What gets to me is we still don't know where the money came from. So basically the FEC is.. waiting for Santos to respond to a letter asking for more information?

>Mr. Kappel said that the change on Mr. Santos’s campaign filings would be likely to trigger a letter from the F.E.C. asking for more information on the source of the loan.

So in a few months they are gonna fine him a pittance, it's gonna turn out he lied again, then maybe GOP leadership tries to get him to resign so he doesn't get prosecuted in return. Same fucking bullshit.

Oh... Vicky "Proud Boy" Paladino.

> Chatgpt can only spit out so much shit content.

This is really just silly. This article could have been written in 10 minutes by an actual human being. Its not some lengthy or complex thing to do that would require them to use an AI.

He must be a warm and convivial host.

Sides? Sides? $26,000 worth of sides? What are these sides? They cure cancer?

They must have a $ deal with reddit. It's such horrible content. It's the only thing that makes sense

i know you're being saracastic but...of course he is. He runs a good restaurant in a good location with good food. My family has been going there for years, hosted my grandfather's 80th birthday there. Unfortunate these GOP skells flock there but i assume their money is still green like anyone else's.

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Not really sarcasm, just a TV reference. His name is similar to chef Artie Bucco, who Tony Soprano described as “a warm and convivial host” to his patrons.

Santos almost certainly was getting kick-backs from the restaurant, but at least in the business world, 32 meetings at the same restaurant isn't impossible to believe.

When one is raising money - either for business or politics - one is essentially running a dramatic production. So I want as much control over the "set" of that play as possible.

Using the same restaurant means the staff, whom I tip regularly and above average, know how I like things and will step in the right times. Great waiters are also experts at making certain people have a good time. That can be a huge help as you wouldn't believe how many rich people are actually unhappy, bored, or both.

And the owner will love me because I bring them so much business, and likely, new wealthy customers, too. They'll make it a habit to come over, make certain everything is great, give us special stuff, even talk me up.

Regulars will see this and want to know me because people like people that other people like. I'll likely shake a few hands on my way to my regular table.

All of this increases the "halo" around me. Without saying anything to the investor / donor, I'm demonstrating that I'm special and that people like me. That alone won't make the invest/donate, but it definitely helps, even if it means they're just happy to take another meeting with me in the future.

Downright frugal if he was ordering bottles of wine

lolol. funny enough, i actually thought about Artie Bucco when i was writing my first comment here because Joey Il Bacco really is like Artie but without the childhood friendship with a mob boss. The fact that i missed your quote just means i'm probably due for a rewatch of the show.

It's super suspicious that his bill just always happened to be below the legal requirement for a receipt.

Almost like he was trying to hide something.

Your defense of him makes me suspicious of you.

Is your name Anthony by any chance?

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No, it is not.

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It's over 32 visits

$26000 on rigatoni?! What did these rigatoni, they cure cancer?

Yeah, I'm sure it's sketchy but comparing to the price of an entree is ridiculous. Insane restaurant bills are almost always alcohol related.

I could go for a rigatoni bolognese right now. Anyone got his number?

How so?

Gotta seal the deal on the Mafia vote.

It is not important.

In fact, its a poor attempt at defending Santos, when he is CLEARLY a shady, lying fuckhead.

The $199.99 amount is FAR more important to understand than the total amount spent.

Yes, lots of food for lots of people can add up to big numbers.

No, $199.99 charges REPEATEDLY are not a coincidence.

I never said he wasn't an asshole. I never said he wasn't a liar. Context, however, is important

The comment provided no context, merely an asinine theory that ignores the most damning part of the evidence against him: the precise dollar amount paid.

That was actually his blurb in the Zagat guide, and he took it too much to heart, pissing off Tony because he wouldn't stop talking to him during the meal.

If OP's info is inaccurate, ok. I didn't read the article.

I have zero faith in our government or that Republicans will ever be held to any sort of standard.

I feel that "George Santos" would be a cheap ass.

You called the comment important.

It is not important.

Ok. Great.

To be fair, he may have been ordering separate dishes for each of his alters.

Who the fuck voted for this shit stain

could we now break down the national deficit in terms of pasta? i’m having trouble following all these big numbers but this puts it in a totally relatable perspective where even i can understand it

I can't stand Santos, but there's no context. What do other campaigns spend on food?

Redditors think Twitter is a good source too, it's a pretty good example of lack of critical thinking

That's not unreasonable then depending on the size of the office and what was ordered, especially if that includes a tip.

> Sadly, you can probably get away with domestic violence.

Not domestic violence, but sexual harassment and assault. Because the reporters are in on it too. See: Mark Halperin.

I didn’t even think about that. If he had 10 people per se (idk how many were there) and they each had apps, entrees, desserts, sides, and dozens of bottles of old expensive wine and booze I could see it going into 5 figures easily. 26k is a lot, but who knows.

Edit: is it true this is from over 30 trips to the restaurant? Because then it’s a nothing burger

My poor, sweet, summer child

Worst thing that happened to trump was winning

You know, between her and Carl "Horse Sex Is Best Sex" Paladino, I'm thinking that maybe all the sane Paladinos are giving the NY Republican party a wide berth.

That's a lot of con men.

Always order the special. Never a la carte. That is where they get ya

Curiouser and curiouser….

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I go by Tony Ragoni

Ding ding! Politics 101

Where did he get all this money?

my friends had an entire wedding there and it didn't cost $26,000

probably nothing. its not like the media is treating him special and giving other politicians a pass.

Where does it say that?

Where does it say that?

Yeah but how many bottles of amorone?

“Woah, smarter than a cueball this one.”

love that this is turning into an Artie Bucco Quote thread.

Dig into the expense report.

Bolognesegate

For 32 meal events. Its feasible

What expense report?

Boo, bad troll.

Block.

The best Italian restaurants always have rumors of mob ties. Whether it’s true or not I don’t know or care as long as the food and experience is good

It's only illegal when you're structuring your drug money deposits, not when you are doing an end run around campaign finance rules

Campaign finance violations are mostly fines and potentially sanctions

>Santos' financial disclosures also revealed he owes the restaurant another $18,773.54 for a campaign election night event.

>The campaign's updated disclosures show they paid down $8,000 on that debt.

>That brings Santos' total Italian food expenditure up to $44,805.60.

Shout out to Lake Success, Douglaston Manner and whatever they call that area in between - guess it's Little Neck

That place is an insurrectionists wet dream with all the pictures of fascists on the wall. Food is decent, Lenny's clam bar is much better.

1 cent actually.

they do some decent journalism, u just have to follow specific writers

This places him firmly above the 1,000 rigatoni bolognese limit per campaign finance laws.

on his FEC campaign spending reports. its been reported all over the place

Source?

pick your pleasure

https://www.google.com/search?q=santos+%24199.99&sxsrf=AJOqlzWZoomneCAS3cw0RTWa0-xYrMr49A%3A1675367829077&source=hp&ei=lRXcY7KNAo-g5NoP6Ie_mA8&iflsig=AK50M_UAAAAAY9wjpZ3Urh2Gygq6wK3K59K6pmlfCPs3&ved=0ahUKEwjyq8XCz_f8AhUPEFkFHejDD_MQ4dUDCAo&uact=5&oq=santos+%24199.99&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAMyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCGAzIFCAAQhgMyBQgAEIYDOgQIIxAnOgsILhCABBCxAxCDAToLCAAQgAQQsQMQgwE6DgguEIAEELEDEMcBENEDOhEILhCABBCxAxCDARDHARDRAzoOCC4QxwEQsQMQ0QMQgAQ6CAgAELEDEIMBOgsILhCxAxDHARDRAzoLCC4QgAQQxwEQrwE6CAguEIAEELEDOggILhCxAxCABDoOCAAQgAQQsQMQgwEQyQM6DgguELEDEIMBEMcBENEDOg4ILhCDARDHARCxAxDRAzoFCC4QgAQ6DgguEIAEEMcBEK8BENQCOgsILhCDARCxAxCABDoRCC4QsQMQgwEQxwEQrwEQ1AI6CAgAEIAEELEDOgYIABAWEB46CAgAEBYQHhAPUABYuxtghh1oAXAAeACAAWiIAesJkgEEMTQuMZgBAKABAQ&sclient=gws-wiz

he look like he had 1,131 rigatoni bolognese

Italian slang for cappicola, a spiced ham. I'm not a huge fan of it myself, but it has a a devoted fan base.

There’s absolutely zero documentation in any of these links but if you have some I’d be happy to review them

How exactly would Santos have calculated the distance of an Uber trip that cost exactly $199.99?

This thread is why Italians want to keep Columbus Day, high volume Italian restaurant? Must be mobbed up!

Let's keep our focus on the liar who lies about everything instead

i said it's been widely reported, you asked for a source, i provided a litany. if you want the primary documents you can go to FEC.gov and find them as easily as I can

“It’s been widely reported”

“I don’t actually have the report but it’s been widely reported”

Reminds me of a South Park episode

if you are too lazy to navigate to the fec website yourself, you can just say so

If you have something that substantiates anything you’ve said feel free to share it

Anytime anyone sees an Italian-American doing good for themselves and have a lot of money they assume it’s a mob but idk

https://www.politico.com/amp/news/2023/01/24/the-improbability-of-george-santos-199-expenses-00079334

i already did

That’s neat where exactly are those charges listed?

The article you sources has zero links to these reports

You wildly overestimate how invested I am in convincing a random internet stranger of something that has been…wait for it…widely reported. Have a great rest of your day.

I don’t see an invoice or filing that shows any charge of $199, or 199.99 in your sources

blind i guess

Show me the light

this guy spends all his time trolling people, don't waste any more time lmao

Widely reported but never happened apparently

He never got removed?

Figured as much. I know a sea Lion when I sea one.

Wtf is this headline? Sorry, it grinds my eyes!

He was really hungry !!

Mad Max: “26,000 dollars for sides?!?! Do these sides cure cancer?”

Here you go, even filtered it down for you https://www.fec.gov/data/disbursements/?data_type=processed&committee_id=C00721365&committee_id=C00762237&committee_id=C00775726&committee_id=C00791137&committee_id=C00821660&committee_id=C00822783&two_year_transaction_period=2022&min_date=01%2F01%2F2021&max_date=12%2F31%2F2022&min_amount=198&max_amount=200

this is always alchohol. what did they order?

this would probably help them get more customers cause people may get to see mobsters. yeah I said it and you know its true.

This reminds me of a line in the Sopranos

I have been accused of being a part of an italian American sub culture.

Should we just ignore the fact that high volume Italian restaurants have a strong history of being key components of laundering mob money?

Not that I believe you care. But here it is.

https://www.politico.com/amp/news/2023/01/24/the-improbability-of-george-santos-199-expenses-00079334

He had 8 trips with the bill being identical and $.01 the reporting requirement.

I think you found George Santo's Reddit account

Ya I’m sure 8 of santos meals came out to be exactly the same price. $.01 below the reporting limit. From coincidence and him not facilitating something sketchy.

It’s all rico to me.

Just that 8 meals came exactly to 199.99. Below the $200 reporting limit.

Totally not crazy. I mean it’s not like we have any reasons to not trust the man’s word on things

Well 8 different trips came to exactly $199.99. Just below the reporting limit of $200.

You ever hear of that bridge for sale? I can get you deal for it for 199.99.

Just kidding I don’t think your stupid. Just that you put political party above facts, decency, and our democratic system

People forget that Santos is a world champion competitive eater and always tips 300%.

Dude who cares? If it the place has good Italian food, I’m going mob connected or not