Ousted Republican Rep. George Santos is expected to plead guilty Monday to several charges relating to a campaign finance fraud scheme, weeks before the trial was set to begin, according to a source familiar with the case.
The disgraced ex-congressman has previously pleaded not guilty to all 23 counts of a superseding federal indictment including charges of wire fraud, money laundering, aggravated identity theft, and making false statements to the Federal Election Commission.
Several donors whose credit cards Santos allegedly used to buy designer clothes and pay personal debts told the Talking Points Memo that federal prosecutors alerted them of the plea deal on Friday.
“They told me that he is pleading guilty on Monday,” one of the donors told the outlet, who first reported about the deal. “He should be held completely accountable and he is, as far as I can tell, guilty of quite a bit. I know for certain that he lied to my face.”
A last-minute change on the case docket could indicate the plea deal is underway. Federal Court Judge Joanna Seybert scheduled a conference in Central Islip at 3:00 p.m. Monday at both sides’ request Friday. Separate deadlines for pre-trial filings were also extended.
Santos’ lawyer Joe Murray did not immediately return messages seeking comment.
The trial was set to begin Sept. 9.
Sam Miele, Santos’ campaign fundraiser pleaded guilty to a federal wire charge as part of plea deal in November.
Nancy Marks, Santos’ former campaign treasurer, pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges in October. Marks admitted she and the Republican congressman lied about how much donor money the candidate was bringing in so he could qualify for a national program.
Santos, who lied about nearly every aspect of his life during his successful run for office in 2022, was booted from Congress in December in a historic 311-114 vote.
The Long Island and Queens Republican lawmaker became the first member of Congress to be ousted without being convicted of a crime since the Civil War.
“To hell with this place,” Santos said as he stalked off Capitol Hill.
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