Dave Collins | Associated Press

U.S. Rep. George Santos was charged with criminal theft in Pennsylvania in 2017 in connection with bad checks apparently used to buy puppies from dog breeders. The case was ultimately dismissed after Santos said the nine checks totaling more than $15,000 were from a checkbook that had been stolen from him.

National data shows the number of children sent to adult courts for criminal prosecution in the U.S. has dropped to new lows as more states steer teenagers instead toward rehabilitation and counseling offered by juvenile courts.