Former U.S. Rep. George Santos is anticipated to plead responsible to a number of counts in his federal fraud case, in accordance with an individual aware of the matter.
Santos, a Republican from New York, is anticipated to enter the plea at a court docket listening to deliberate for Monday on Lengthy Island, the particular person mentioned.
The particular person couldn’t publicly focus on particulars of the plea and spoke to The Related Press on situation of anonymity.
Messages had been left searching for remark from Santos and three attorneys representing the previous congressman.
The court docket listening to was scheduled for Monday afternoon after prosecutors and Santos’ attorneys collectively requested one on Friday. Additionally they sought and acquired a delay in sure pre-trial deadlines.
The information comes simply weeks earlier than jury choice was set to start on Sept. 9. Santos has beforehand pleaded not responsible to a variety of monetary crimes, together with mendacity to Congress about his wealth, gathering unemployment advantages whereas really working and utilizing marketing campaign contributions to pay for private bills resembling designer clothes.
Among the many fees Santos faces are wire fraud, theft of public funds, cash laundering and aggravated determine theft.
Prosecutors just lately instructed the decide that the trial might final three weeks as a result of they anticipated to name a minimum of three dozen witnesses, together with some victims of Santos’ alleged crimes.
Santos has beforehand maintained his innocence and referred to as the investigation a “witch hunt,” claims that prosecutors referred to as “baseless” in a current court docket submitting. However in December, when prosecutors mentioned plea negotiations had been ongoing, Santos mentioned in an interview at the moment {that a} deal was “not off the table.”
Requested if he was afraid of going to jail, he mentioned: “I think everybody should be afraid of going to jail, it’s not a pretty place and uh, I definitely want to work very hard to avoid that as best as possible.”
Earlier this week, Decide Joanna Seybert rejected Santos’ request that potential jurors fill out a written questionnaire gauging their opinions of him. His attorneys argued in court docket filings it was essential as a result of “for all intents and purposes, Santos has already been found guilty in the court of public opinion.”
Legal professionals for the federal government had additionally been searching for to confess as proof a number of the lies Santos made throughout his marketing campaign. Earlier than he was elected in 2022 to signify elements of Queens and Lengthy Island, he falsely claimed to have graduated from each New York College and Baruch School and that he had labored at prime Wall Road corporations.
Two marketing campaign aides to Santos have already pleaded responsible to crimes associated to the previous congressman’s marketing campaign. Final October, his ex-treasurer, Nancy Marks, pleaded responsible to a fraud conspiracy cost and implicated Santos in a scheme to brighten his marketing campaign finance studies with a pretend mortgage and pretend donors. A lawyer for Marks mentioned on the time his shopper can be keen to testify towards Santos if requested, saying she had been “mentally seduced” by Santos.
A month later, Sam Miele, a former fundraiser for Santos, pleaded responsible to a federal wire fraud cost, admitting he impersonated a high-ranking congressional aide whereas elevating marketing campaign money for Santos.
The New York Republican was expelled from Congress in December after an ethics investigation discovered “overwhelming evidence” he had damaged the regulation and exploited his public place for his personal revenue.
