NEW YORK — George Santos is expected to plead guilty to charges stemming from fraud allegations, a person familiar with the matter confirmed to CBS News New York.
Santos, the former Republican congressman from New York, is expected to plead guilty in federal court Monday in Central Islip, New York.
He was expelled from the House of Representatives last year and had already pleaded not guilty 23 federal charges alleging fraud, including misappropriation of campaign funds.
The parties are preparing for next month’s trial.
Santos appeared in a Long Island court on Tuesday for a preliminary hearingHis trial was due to begin in September.
Federal prosecutors asked the judge to let them submit Santos’ lies during his campaign as evidence, claiming that he had “deliberately used them to perpetuate his criminal plans.”
The lies included:
- Graduate of Baruch College and New York University
- Being an accomplished college volleyball player
- Having grandparents who survived the Holocaust
- Working at Citigroup and Goldman Sachs
- Building your family wealth
- Stealing campaign donors
Santos’ defense team asked the court for a partially anonymous jury, citing “extensive and largely negative media coverage” and saying “jurors could face harassment or intimidation.” The judge agreed.
If convicted at trial, Santos faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Former voters split on possible plea deal
The disgraced former congressman covered New York’s 3rd Congressional District. His 2022 victory helped the Republican Party take control of the House. Almost immediately, Santos began making headlines for a litany of scandals.
“He’s said he wanted to go to court since he was indicted. Well, give him that chance,” said Jody Kass Finkel, who led the citizens’ group that ousted Santos from office. “He basically tortured us for months. For 11 months, we had to live with him as our representative. As far as we’re concerned, the urgency is gone and he shouldn’t get a plea deal.”
Other residents of the old Santos neighborhood had mixed opinions.
“I’m not angry anymore. He should just go away… He should pay the money back,” said Barbara Garrett, a Little Neck resident.
“I don’t think he should go to prison, no… He was a U.S. representative. He may have made some serious mistakes and misconduct, and I don’t put him in the same category as violent offenders who are serving even shorter sentences,” one man said.
“If he broke the law, then he should face the same punishment as anyone else,” another man said.
