Just weeks before his trial began, former Republican Rep. George Santos pleaded guilty Monday to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, short-circuiting the federal fraud case that led to his expulsion from Congress.
In his guilty plea in a Long Island courtroom on Monday, Mr. Santos admitted that he had “betrayed the trust” of his constituents and supporters in New York, and said he “deeply” regretted his conduct.
Mr. Santos, 36, has said he accepts responsibility and intends to make amends. He faces more than six years in prison under federal sentencing guidelines and must make restitution of at least $370,000. Federal Judge Joanna Seybert will issue her sentencing decision on Feb. 7.
George Santos had been criminally charged with stealing money from political donors, using campaign contributions to pay personal expenses, lying to Congress about his assets and collecting unemployment benefits while working.
Mr Santos was expelled from the House of Representatives after an ethics investigation found “overwhelming evidence” that he had broken the law and exploited his public position for personal gain.
If the trial had gone ahead in September, federal prosecutors said Monday they were prepared to call about 40 witnesses, including members of Mr. Santos’ campaign, employers and family members.
George Santos had been touted by Republicans as a rising political star after he won a suburban district from Democrats in 2022 that covers the wealthy North Shore of Long Island and part of the New York borough of Queens.
But his life story began to unravel before he was even sworn in on Capitol Hill. At the time, reports emerged that he had lied about having a career at top Wall Street firms and a college degree, as well as other questions about his biography.
New questions then emerged about his campaign funds.
He was first charged federally in May 2023, but he refused to resign as a congressman at the time. He maintained his innocence, though he said in a December interview with CBS-2 that a plea deal with prosecutors was “not out of the question.”
When asked if he was afraid of going to prison, he said: “I think everyone should be afraid of going to prison, it’s not a nice place and, uh, I really want to work very hard to avoid that as best I can.”