George Santos wants to plead guilty in federal court and avoid trial

(Bloomberg) — Former U.S. Rep. George Santos, whose career in Congress stalled after it was revealed that he fabricated large parts of his life story, is expected to plead guilty Monday to fraud charges brought in federal court, a person familiar with the matter said.

The former New York Republican, who has denied any wrongdoing since he was first charged with campaign finance law violations last year, was scheduled to go on trial on 23 counts on Sept. 9.

Santos had previously pleaded not guilty and called the case against him a “witch hunt.” Santos did not respond to text messages or phone calls on Saturday. His lawyers did not respond to emails or phone messages.

A guilty plea would spare the former congressman a trial that is expected to last at least a month, and could give him some leniency at sentencing. Federal judges typically impose reduced sentences for defendants who accept responsibility rather than go to trial.

The judge presiding over the case at the U.S. District Court in Central Islip, New York, Joanna Seybert, scheduled an in-person hearing for August 19 on Friday at the request of the prosecution and defense.

Prosecutors with Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Breon Peace first charged Santos last year with stealing public funds and lying on federal disclosure forms, as well as fraud and money laundering. In October, they filed a revised indictment adding 10 more counts against Santos, accusing him of making false statements to the Federal Election Commission and making unauthorized spending through his campaign donors' credit cards.

He was expelled from Congress in December after the House Ethics Committee found “substantial evidence” that he had violated the law.

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