Alleged serial liar George Santos had backing from FTX executives

Two executives at FTX — the now-bankrupt crypto exchange run by suspected fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried — maxed out donations to alleged chronic liar and newly sworn-in Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., during the 2021-22 election cycle, according to FEC filings reviewed by SFGATE.

Records show that Claire Watanabe, an FTX senior executive, and Ramnik Arora, head of product, each gave the maximum allowed individual contribution of $5,800 to Santos’ campaign in late June and early August, respectively. Arora’s FEC filings list a residence in the Bay Area, while Watanabe gave an address in Long Beach. Neither has been accused of criminal wrongdoing in FTX-related matters.

FTX co-CEO Ryan Salame — who is based in Massachusetts and New York, according to filings — also maxed out a donation to Santos. While Salame also gave millions of dollars to countless political action committees and politicians, Watanabe and Arora have much more limited donation histories. Watanabe appears to have directly given to four politicians during the past election cycle; Arora appears to have directly given to just three. Along with donating to Santos, both donated to failed House candidate (and Salame’s girlfriend) Michelle Bond, a crypto proponent, as well as Carrick Flynn, an “effective altruism” activist who lost a House bid in Oregon despite receiving millions in campaign funds from Bankman-Fried. (Watanabe’s other donation was to Karoline Leavitt, a 25-year-old failed House candidate in New Hampshire.)

It’s not immediately clear why Watanabe and Arora gave money to Santos, who doesn’t seem to have publicly discussed crypto or effective altruism; despite his colorful Twitter history, he has rarely posted about crypto. One of the few exceptions came on Dec. 12, when Santos tweeted of Bankman-Fried, “We must hold this man accountable for his crimes.” He later added, “SBF getting arrested a day before he was going to testify in congress is more proof that corruption has taken over the federal government. January 3rd couldn’t come fast enough.”

SFGATE reached out to Watanabe and Arora to ask why they donated to Rep. Santos, and if they’ve considered requesting refunds, as other donors have recently done; some of those donors have alleged they were charged more than what they attempted to donate. Neither Watanabe nor Arora immediately responded. 

SFGATE also reached out to Rep. Santos, to ask why FTX executives gave to his campaign, whether he knew them at all, and if he would be returning their donations, given his criticisms of the crypto exchange and SBF. A spokesperson responded within minutes that “[t]he Congressional Office of Rep. George Santos NY-03 does not comment on campaign or personal matters.”

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., (L) talks to Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., in the House chamber during the third day of elections for speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 5, 2023, in Washington.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

A recent profile by The Information described Arora as a "key lieutenant" to Bankman-Fried, whose interactions with investors made him "integral to FTX’s expansion." Watanabe was a "senior executive in FTX’s business development team," according to Bloomberg; she once unsuccessfully pushed the crypto exchange to ink a $100 million sponsorship deal with Taylor Swift. Many of FTX's celebrity spokespeople — a list that features Tom Brady, Stephen Curry and Larry David — have been named in a class-action lawsuit alleging the company misled customers and cost them billions.

FTX famously collapsed at the end of 2022, when it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Federal regulators have since accused Bankman-Fried of defrauding investors. A new CEO, John Ray, was hired to lead the company through bankruptcy proceedings; in a November court filing, Ray wrote, "Never in my career have I seen such a complete failure of corporate controls and such a complete absence of trustworthy financial information as occurred here."

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried leaves Manhattan federal court after his arraignment and bail hearings on Dec. 22, 2022, in New York City. 

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Santos’ list of scandals, meanwhile, includes allegations that he’s lied about his religion, his time in college, his work experience with Goldman Sachs, his mother's death and whether he dressed in drag. He's also accused of stiffing a veteran out of money raised for a dying dog’s surgery. Federal prosecutors are reportedly investigating his personal finances. While several major New York Republican Party officials have called on Santos to resign, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has said Santos will not be removed from Congress unless the Ethics Committee decides he’s broken a law.

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