Former Republican Rep. George Santos is expected to plead guilty Monday to multiple charges related to campaign finance fraud, less than a month before his trial is set to begin, two sources familiar with the matter told NBC News.
The disgraced former lawmaker faces a 23-count lawsuit in the Eastern District of New York, including allegations of wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and materially false statements to the Commission Federal Election.
The superseded conviction adds to a 13-count federal indictment charging Santos with wire fraud, money laundering and theft of public funds in May 2023.
Santos had previously pleaded not guilty to all charges.
An attorney for Santos did not respond to NBC News’ requests for comment.
Negotiations for a plea deal were already underway late last year, months after Santos was charged, and after a September 2024 trial date had already been set.
At the time, Santos told a CBS New York reporter that a plea deal was “out of the question, obviously, at this point.”
A plea hearing is scheduled in federal court in New York for Monday at 3 p.m.
An FBI spokeswoman and a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York declined to comment to NBC News.
Santos was elected in 2022, when he flipped the congressional seat of Long Island, New York, from Democrat to Republican, helping to solidify a slim Republican majority in the House.
Just weeks before his term began, the New York Times revealed that Santos had falsified or embellished certain parts of his resume and personal history.
In December 2023, more than two-thirds of Santos’ House colleagues voted to expel him from Congress, formally removing him from his congressional seat.
This article was originally published in English on NBC News. click here to read
2024-08-17 23:18:11
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