Republican US representative George Santos has been charged with fraud, money laundering and theft of public funds, the Justice Department has said.

The US politician, who has resisted calls to resign for lying about his resume, was expected to appear later in the day at a federal court in New York.

Federal prosecutors have been examining false statement allegations in Santos’ campaign filings.

The US politician is at the centre of a web of extraordinary revelations and accusations covering everything from his heritage to jobs he simply never held.

Described by critics as a “total fraud”, he is accused of fabricating parts of his CV while running for Congress.

Shortly after the 34-year-old congressman was elected in November, a New York Times investigation found a number of false claims he made on his CV about his personal and professional history.

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