NEW YORK — Disgraced former Congressman George Santos is expected to plead guilty Monday in federal court on Long Island to some of the 23 charges against him in his fraud case.
The counts include wire fraud, money laundering, theft of government funds, making false statements to the Federal Election Commission, and identity theft.
“It’s certainly not in the public’s interest to go through that whole charade,” said former Long Island Republican Rep. Peter King. “To me, the sooner he’s gone, the better.”
Penalty in settlement agreement likely to be less severe, lawyer says
After his election in 2022, Santos was accused of a litany of lies including graduating from Baruch College and New York University, being a descendant of Holocaust survivors, and working at Goldman Sachs.
The night before Congress voted to expel him last December, CBS News New York asked, “Why are you still in office?” To which Santos replied, “These are allegations that I am not willing or able to have those conversations at this time.”
Santos told Marcia Kramer of CBS News New York by phone over the weekend that he would appear in court on Monday. However, when she asked him if he would accept a plea deal, he said he couldn’t discuss it.
David Schwartz is a criminal defense attorney based in New York.
“One thing is for sure: if he pleads guilty now, takes responsibility and shows remorse, he will receive a much lighter sentence than if he were to go to trial,” Schwartz said.
If Santos were found guilty on all counts, he would have faced up to 20 years in prison under sentencing guidelines. However, the judge does not have to rely on those guidelines. In fact, he does not even have to accept the plea agreement, although legal experts told CBS News New York that is rare.
Concerns Citizens of NY-03 are concerned about plea deal
Jodi Kass Finkel led the group Concerned Citizens of NY-03 to Washington to oust Santos from his seatThe group’s name refers to the congressional district Santos represented: the Third.
“He shouldn’t get a settlement,” Finkel said.
On Sunday, Finkel’s group wrote to prosecutors that it “demands a full trial to reveal the extent of Mr. Santos’ crimes against NY-03. The public deserves to know how a parody of this magnitude could have occurred at the highest levels of government.”
Lisa Rozner
