George Santos pleads guilty to wire fraud and identity theft – NBC New York

Former U.S. Representative George Santos pleaded guilty Monday to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection with the federal fraud case that led to his expulsion from Congress.

The Republican from New York made this confession in a courtroom on Long Island just weeks before the trial was scheduled to begin in early September.

Santos was charged with stealing from political donors, using campaign contributions to pay personal expenses, lying to Congress about his wealth, and collecting unemployment benefits when he actually worked.

“I have abused the trust of my voters and supporters. I deeply regret my conduct, take full responsibility for my actions and understand that through my actions I have abused the trust of my supporters. I made false statements so that the NRCC would spend money on my campaign,” Santos said in court on Monday.

Santos was expelled from the U.S. House of Representatives after an ethics investigation found “overwhelming evidence” that he had broken the law and exploited his public position for his own benefit.

The case is scheduled to go to trial early next month. The court date on Long Island on Monday afternoon was rescheduled for Friday at the request of prosecutors and Santos' lawyers. A letter did not specify what the case would be about.

The verdict is scheduled for February 7 at 10:30 a.m. While Santos faces a minimum prison sentence of two and a maximum of 22 years, the judge said on Monday that he most likely faces a prison sentence of six to eight years.

The former congressman was also ordered to pay restitution of $397,749.97 and forfeiture of $205,002.97.

Santos has previously pleaded not guilty to a number of alleged financial crimes, including lying to Congress about his wealth, receiving unemployment benefits while working and using campaign contributions to pay for personal expenses.

The 36-year-old was once touted as a rising political star after turning around the suburban district, which includes Long Island's affluent north shore and part of the New York City borough of Queens, in 2022.

But his life story began to unravel before he was even sworn in. That's when reports surfaced that he had lied about a career at top Wall Street firms and a college degree, as well as other questions about his biography.

Then new questions arose about his campaign funds.

He was first impeached on federal charges in May 2023, but refused to resign from office. Santos was expelled from Congress after an ethics investigation found “overwhelming evidence” that he had broken the law and used his public position for his own benefit.

Santos had previously protested his innocence.

Separately, Judge Denise Cote on Monday dismissed a lawsuit in Manhattan federal court in which Santos claimed that late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, ABC and Disney committed copyright infringement and unjustly enriched themselves at his expense by using videos he created with the Cameo app for a “Jimmy Kimmel Live” segment. The judge said it was clear that Kimmel used the clips, which were also posted on YouTube, for the purposes of criticism and commentary, which was fair use.

Santos began selling personalized videos on Cameo in December, shortly after leaving Congress, and later launched an unlikely attempt to return to Congress as an independent earlier this year, but quickly abandoned the bid.

Two members of Santos' campaign team had previously pleaded guilty to crimes related to the former congressman's campaign.