CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. — For months, Representative George Santos seemed to possess a Teflon-like resistance to repercussions, even as questions mounted over his income, campaign finances and rags-to-riches life story.
Mr. Santos, a first-term Republican representing Long Island and Queens, gave numerous speeches on the House floor and appeared to relish his growing notoriety.
But on Wednesday, Mr. Santos was confronted with consequences that may prove difficult to skirt.
Appearing before a judge and scores of assembled reporters in a federal courthouse in Central Islip, Mr. Santos pleaded not guilty on all charges.
Sitting upright, with his arms crossed before him, Mr. Santos, 34, was polite and deferential, cutting a familiar figure in his trademark outfit of sweater beneath a navy blazer.