Former congressman George Santos pleads guilty to fraud charges in federal court and faces prison sentence

“I now realize that I allowed my ambition to cloud my judgment and lead me to make unethical and guilty decisions,” Santos told reporters outside the courthouse on Monday.

Santos, 36, who was expelled from the U.S. House of Representatives in December, pleaded guilty in New York to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. He is scheduled to be sentenced in federal court in Central Islip on February 7. He faces six to eight years in prison.

“Recently, after years of lying, former Congressman George Santos stood behind me in the courthouse and finally told the truth under oath. And the truth is that he is a criminal,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace told reporters on Monday.

“He has admitted to lying, stealing and defrauding people. Santos' countless lies and blatant misrepresentations catapulted him into Congress,” Peace added. “But to the victims of Santos' various financial crimes and the community whose falsehoods and fabrications deprived them of honest representation in Congress, he is worthy of only shame.”

Santos, who originally faced 23 counts, told U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert on Monday that he used donation funds for personal purposes – including designer clothing, Botox injections and OnlyFans subscriptions – and made false statements to the Federal Election Commission. He also admitted to committing wire fraud in 2022.

In addition to the prison sentence, Santos agreed to repay at least $373,000 as part of the agreement.

In October, Santos denied any wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty to charges of wire fraud, identity theft and making false statements to the Federal Election Commission.

After being kicked out of the U.S. House of Representatives, Santos announced in March that he would seek another seat in New York's 1st Congressional District. He withdrew his candidacy a month later.

Santos was the sixth member ever to be removed from the House of Representatives after serving less than a year. An ethics report that led to his removal detailed his alleged conduct and provided “substantial evidence” that Santos repeatedly violated the law while continuing to maintain his innocence.

Although Santos faces a prison sentence of up to eight years, the agreement calls for him to serve at least two years.

Santos told CBS New York in December that he was working hard to avoid prison.

“I think everyone should be afraid of going to prison. It's not a nice place,” he said.

“Pleading guilty is a step I never thought possible, but it is necessary because it is the right thing to do,” Santos admitted on Monday.

“It is not only an admission of my misrepresentations to others, but, more profoundly, an admission of the lies I have told myself over the past few years.”