Former GOP Rep. George Santos is expected to plead guilty on Monday to multiple charges related to campaign finance fraud, less than a month from when his trial was set to begin, two sources familiar with the matter tell NBC News.
The disgraced former lawmaker faces a 23-count superseding indictment in the Eastern District of New York, including charges of wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and making materially false statements to the Federal Election Commission.
The superseding indictment is an addition to a 13-count federal indictment on charges of wire fraud, money laundering and theft of public funds that Santos was hit with in May 2023.
George Santos in Central Islip, N.Y., on Aug. 13.James Carbone / Newsday via Getty ImagesSantos had previously pleaded not guilty to all charges.A lawyer for Santos did not return NBC News’ requests for comment.
Negotiations for a plea deal were already taking place late last year, months after Santos’ indictment, and after a September 2024 trial date had already been set.
At the time, Santos told a CBS New York reporter that a plea deal was “not off the table, obviously, at this point.”
A hearing for the guilty plea is scheduled in federal court for Monday at 3 p.m. The expected plea was first reported by Talking Points Memo.
A spokesperson for the FBI and a spokesperson for the Eastern District of New York’s U.S. attorney declined to comment to NBC News.
Santos was elected in 2022, when he flipped a Long Island, New York, congressional seat from Democratic to Republican, helping cement a narrow GOP majority in the House.
Just a few weeks before the start of his term, The New York Times revealed that Santos had lied about or embellished certain parts of his resume and personal history.
In December 2023, over two-thirds of Santos’ House colleagues voted to expel him from Congress, formally removing him from his congressional seat.
Jonathan Dienst
Jonathan Dienst is chief justice contributor for NBC News and chief investigative reporter for WNBC-TV in New York.
Greg Cergol, NBC New York
Greg Cergol is the Long Island Reporter for WNBC-TV in New York.
Alexandra Marquez
Alexandra Marquez is a politics reporter for NBC News.
Source : NBC News