Former GOP Rep. George Santos is expected to plead guilty on Monday to multiple charges related to campaign finance fraud, including wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and making false statements to the Federal Election Commission. This comes less than a month before his trial was set to begin in the Eastern District of New York. Santos had previously pleaded not guilty to all charges, but negotiations for a plea deal had been ongoing since late last year.
Santos was hit with a 23-count superseding indictment in addition to a 13-count federal indictment on charges of wire fraud, money laundering, and theft of public funds in May 2023. He was elected in 2022, flipping a Long Island congressional seat from Democratic to Republican. However, just before his term began, it was revealed that Santos had lied about his background and credentials.
In December 2023, over two-thirds of Santos’ House colleagues voted to expel him from Congress, formally removing him from his seat. A spokesperson for the FBI and the U.S. attorney’s office in the Eastern District of New York declined to comment on the case. A hearing for the guilty plea is scheduled for Monday at 3 p.m. Santos’ lawyer did not respond to NBC News’ requests for comment.
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