Former Rep. George Santos expected to plead guilty to multiple counts in fraud case, AP source says

(AP) – Former U.S. Rep. George Santos is expected to plead guilty to several counts in his federal fraud trial, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Santos, a Republican from New York, is expected to enter the plea at a court hearing scheduled for Monday on Long Island, the person said.

The person could not publicly discuss the details of the confession and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Messages were left for Santos' three lawyers seeking comment.

The trial was scheduled for Monday afternoon after prosecutors and Santos' lawyers jointly requested one on Friday. They also requested and received a postponement of certain pre-trial deadlines.

The news came just weeks before jury selection was set to begin on Sept. 9. Santos has previously pleaded not guilty to a number of financial crimes, including lying to Congress about his wealth, collecting unemployment benefits while working and using campaign contributions to pay for personal expenses such as designer clothing.

The New York Republican was expelled from Congress in December after an ethics investigation found “overwhelming evidence” that he had broken the law and exploited his public position for his own benefit.

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