Friends Say Santos Wore Stolen Scarf To ‘Stolen Election’ Speech

QUEENS, NY — Former friends of the embattled Long Island congressman George Santos said they believe he wore a stolen Burberry scarf as he delivered a speech Jan. 5, 2021 at a Freedom Plaza rally declaring that the 2020 congressional election was stolen from him.

Santos spoke at the Stop the Steal "coalition pre-rally" the day before supporters of Former President Trump gathered at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. According to a Newsday report, Santos said he attended the Jan. 6 rally but did not enter the Capitol.

Two former Santos roommates, Gregory Morey-Parker and Yasser Rabello, told Patch they suspect Santos, 34, stole a Burberry scarf from Morey-Parker when Morey-Parker rented space from Santos in a Queens apartment he shared with his family.

The two men previously told Patch several items went missing while they lived with Santos, including phones, expensive dress shirts and checks from a checkbook.

Santos' attorney has not responded to requests for comment.

The Republican lawmaker is accused of fabricating most of his biography and is under investigation for possible illegal campaign financing and disclosing. The Nassau County GOP called for his resignation Wednesday, calling him a "stain" on Congress and his district.

Morey-Parker said he was "100 percent" certain the scarf was his when he saw video footage of Santos at the 2021 rally in Washington, D.C. A friend gifted it to him as he visited Santos, he remembered, and his missing scarf's color was "lighter than regular camel check."

Rabello told Patch that Morey-Parker messaged him to say Santos [who went by Anthony Devolder at the time] donned his swiped scarf during his first campaign for Congress in 2020. The two discussed "the shirt and scarf [Santos] stole" in a 2020 conversation.

Morey-Parker told Patch that he also spotted the shirt he was missing in one of Santos' 2020 Instagram posts. He also shared his anger when he saw the post with Rabello in 2020.

Other former friends of the congressman, who has been accused of lying about his Jewish heritage, his mother being a victim of 9/11, the legitimacy of charitable fundraisers he set up, having employees in the Pulse nightclub shooting and more, have shared stories with Patch about being deceived by him, in Brazil and in New York.

At the 2021 Freedom Plaza rally, Santos said, "If you're from New York, you know what they did to me. They did to me what they did to Donald Trump. They stole my election."

He continued, "For 14 days I was congressman-elect of the 3rd Congressional District of New York — the first ever biggest upset for a Republican in New York City."

Santos lost the 2020 race for the 3rd Congressional District seat to incumbent Tom Suozzi. Before absentee votes were counted, which ended with Suozzi having a 10,000-vote lead, Santos went to freshmen orientation in Washington, D.C., where the election was then called for Suozzi, a representative from Suozzi's campaign team told Patch.

In the speech, Santos said that "they sneaked in a few [votes] from my opponent" when counting his votes.

According to Ballotpedia, Suozzi beat Santos 208,412 votes to 161, 907 votes, or 55.9 percent to 43.5 percent.

On Wednesday, Nassau County Republicans leader Joseph Cairo said the local party will not work with the freshman representative, saying they do not consider him one of their own.

"George Santos' campaign last year, in 2022, was a campaign of deceit, lies and fabrication," he said at Wednesday's news conference.