Former U.S. Rep. George Santos Pleads Guilty Ahead of Trial

Photo: Stefan Jeremiah Associated Press Former Republican U.S. Congressman George Santos leaves court in Central Islip, New York, on Monday

Philip Marcelo – Associated Press in New York

Published at 7:20 p.m.

• United States

Just weeks before his trial was set to begin, former Republican Rep. George Santos pleaded guilty Monday to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, effectively 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, said he accepted responsibility and intended to make amends. He faces more than six years in prison under federal sentencing guidelines and must make restitution of at least $370,000. U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert will issue her sentencing decision on Feb. 7.

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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 broke the law and exploited his public position for personal gain.

Had the trial 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.

See also

• George Santos, expelled from US Congress, seeks re-election
• Democrat wins in New York to replace Republican expelled from Congress

George Santos had been touted by Republicans as a rising political star after he took from Democrats in 2022 a suburban district 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 at the Capitol. 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 finances.

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 everybody should be afraid of going to prison, it’s not a nice place to be and, uh, I really want to work really hard to avoid that as much as possible.”