Tantillo bought the boat from Mayra Ruiz, a Republican donor in Miami. Santos negotiated the payment — $12.25 million up front, with $6.5 million more in installments — and advised the two on the logistics of turning over the yacht, according to a person familiar with the sale, which took place a few weeks before his election in November.

It is not clear what laws, if any, may have been broken in the transaction. Several election law experts said that if the sale was designed to inject money into Santos’ campaign, it might be in violation of federal law governing caps on campaign contributions. It could also be illegal if Santos tied any commission he received on the sale to previous or future donations.

But even if Santos broke no laws, the deal serves as further evidence of an emerging narrative given by people in his political orbit — that Santos seemed to use his campaign not only to win elected office but also as a networking exercise to ingratiate himself with rich donors and enrich himself from those contacts.

Yahoo Sold: Yacht With a Waterfall. Price: $19 Million. Broker: George Santos.