Former Rep. George Santos (R-NY) is expected to plead guilty to several criminal counts in his fraud case, avoiding trial.
The terms of a plea deal are unknown. Santos had been facing 23 felony charges with his trial starting on Sept. 9. The House expelled Santos in December 2023 as a result of his indictment.
The New York Times reported he is expected “to give a statement in court acknowledging his crimes,” and could do so at his sentencing Monday afternoon.
Santos initially pleaded not guilty to all counts, and declared the prosecution a “witch hunt.” Two of his campaign staffers have already pleaded guilty for misconduct related to Santos’s campaign.
The heart of Santos’s criminal case revolves around his successful 2022 congressional campaign in which he allegedly falsified financial records to legitimize his campaign. He also allegedly stole thousands of dollars by repeatedly charging donors’s credit cards and through soliciting donations to what they claimed was a super PAC.
Santos also allegedly lied about being unemployed, collecting $24,000 in unemployment in the process, on his House financial disclosure form while he worked for Congress.
Since his expulsion from the House, he ran an unsuccessful campaign in an attempt