George Santos Pleads Guilty To Federal Charges

Former Rep. George Santos (R-NY), who was expelled from the House earlier this year, pleaded guilty to federal charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in New York on Monday.

A judge reportedly suggested Santos could face a six-to-eight year sentence. The Justice Department (DOJ) noted Santos will also pay restitution of $373,749.97 and forfeiture of $205,002.97.

Sentencing is scheduled to take place on February 7.

“I deeply regret my conduct and the harm it has caused and accept full responsibility for my actions,” Santos said in court, according to USA Today.

Federal prosecutors unveiled 23 charges against Santos last year, including aggravated identity theft, wire fraud, and conspiracy stemming back to his 2022 campaign.

Santos had earlier pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The plea deal, which the DOJ said brings a mandatory two-year minimum sentence of imprisonment and a maximum of 22 years, came before Santos’ trial was expected to begin in September.

Santos “will go to prison for at least two years. He will be required to forfeit the money he made illegally. And he will be required to repay the victims that he swindled,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace.

A pair of Santos’ former aides have also pleaded guilty.

Voters in the Long Island area elected Santos to the House in the 2022 election. He defeated business owner and Democratic activist Robert Zimmerman.

Controversy quickly overshadowed Santos during his tenure, and within several months of him taking office, the Department of Justice announced charges.

Santos faced calls to resign and had survived multiple attempts by colleagues to expel him from the House, but that changed following a scathing House Ethics Committee report.

A vote in December, which required a two-thirds majority to succeed, resulted in his ouster in December.

In the special election that followed, Democrat Tom Suozzi prevailed over his GOP rival, Mazi Pilip, to serve out the remainder of the term originally won by Santos.

Suozzi is now expected to face off against former State Assemblymember Michael LiPetri Jr. in the 2024 election in the 3rd Congressional District for another two-year term.

Santos briefly ran a new campaign against Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY), a Republican from a nearby district who had pushed for Santos’ expulsion, but announced his withdrawal from the race in April.