Republican Rep. George Santos pleaded not guilty today to charges of fraud, money laundering and theft of public funds, even as he suffered another blow after calls from even members of his own party for him to resign because he lied on his resume.

Santos replied, “Yes, ma’am,” when the judge in New York federal court asked him if he had discussed the charges with his attorney and if he understood he could invoke the Fifth Amendment to avoid incriminating himself. He is accused of a total of 13 offences. Among other things, that he deceived potential political supporters and transferred their donations, amounting to 50,000 dollars, to his personal bank account, in order to pay off various debts and buy luxury clothes with this money. Before he was elected Member of Parliament he illegally collected $24,000 in unemployment benefits, even though he was working. He also allegedly made false statements to the House of Representatives about his assets, income and debts.

Republicans, who control the House by a slim majority (222 to 213 Democrats), say they will wait for the criminal proceedings to conclude before moving against Santos. The congressman was released on $500,000 bail and his next court appearance is set for June 30. That means he can return to Washington and vote normally in Congress. However, the court ordered him to hand over his passport and restrict his movements.

Federal prosecutors say they have evidence of a “pattern of fraudulent behavior” on the part of the lawmaker, but as he left court he claimed he was the victim of a “witch hunt.” He ruled out the possibility of resigning and assured that he would “clear” his name and run for re-election.

So far, nine Republican lawmakers have called on him to resign.

The party’s No. 2, Steve Scalise, said that while “in America there is a presumption of innocence, these are serious charges,” but Republicans will wait for the court’s decision first.

Days after Santos was elected in 2022 to represent Long Island, the New York Times and other media outlets revealed that he had fabricated nearly his entire personal and professional life. Among other things, he claimed to have degrees from New York University and Baruch College, but his name does not appear in the student records of either institution. He claimed to have worked at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, which was also untrue. On his CV he stated that he was of Jewish descent and that his grandparents escaped the Holocaust. He was gay but did not disclose that he was married for many years, until 2019, to a woman.

He has since admitted that many elements of his resume were untrue.

If found guilty of the charges, he could be sentenced to 20 years in prison.