Disgraced former New York Republican congressman George Santos is anticipated to plead guilty on Monday to charges of defrauding his campaign during the 2022 midterm elections, according to multiple reports.
Signs of a plea deal surfaced on Friday, ahead of Santos’s federal criminal trial, which was set to begin early next month. Prosecutors and defense attorneys scheduled a hearing without explicitly stating the reason, raising speculation about a potential agreement.
Several donors to Santos's previous campaign informed Talking Points Memo (TPM) that they had been notified of an upcoming plea deal announcement. TPM was the first to report allegations that Santos had misused campaign funds for personal expenses.
Santos's lawyer, Joe Murray, and the US attorney for the eastern district of New York, responsible for prosecuting the case, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Santos, a political unknown who flipped a key Democratic district in 2022, gained notoriety after it was revealed that much of his résumé was fabricated. Despite the scandal, Republican House leadership supported him for several months. He was eventually expelled in December 2023, less than a year after taking office. Democrat Tom Suozzi won the special election to fill the vacated seat.
Santos, 36, a first-generation Brazilian American, had campaigned as a "new generation of Republican leadership" and claimed to embody the "American dream." His false claims included graduating from a New York college, working at a major New York bank, running a pet rescue charity, owning 13 properties, and stating that his mother was at the World Trade Center during the 9/11 attacks.
Santos was indicted on 23 charges, including lying to Congress and using campaign funds for personal luxuries such as casino trips, Ferragamo shoes, Botox treatments, and OnlyFans payments. He pleaded not guilty and publicly proclaimed his innocence.
A House ethics committee report criticized Santos for being frequently in debt, having a poor credit score, and using high-interest credit cards for luxury spending. The report noted over $240,000 in cash withdrawals for unknown purposes.
After leaving Congress, Santos started a brief career on Cameo, earning more than he did as a congressman. He also attempted a congressional comeback as an independent candidate, but the effort quickly failed.
If the plea deal is confirmed next week, it will follow similar agreements with Santos's campaign fundraiser Sam Miele and former campaign treasurer Nancy Marks, both of whom pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges last year.
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