Santos expected to plead guilty to multiple counts in his fraud case

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 to unseat Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY) in New York’s first congressional district, a more conservative district on Long Island. He ran as an independent, but eventually withdrew from the race citing his desire not to split the conservative vote in the district.

He’s also launched several money-making ventures like charging for personal videos on Cameo, charging for subscriptions on adult service OnlyFans and ventured into cryptocurrency.

Lately, Santos has commented on political news via his X account, general pop culture, and still backs Trump. It’s unlikely he’ll return to Congress, though a conviction wouldn’t prevent him from doing so.