Joe McConnell
Former Member of Congress from New York George Santos He is expected to plead guilty to his sprawling fraud case, according to US media reports.
Mr. Santos, who became the first member of Congress will be expelled over 20 years, is facing 23 federal felony charges who report wire fraud, money laundering and misuse of campaign funds.
The Republican pleaded not guilty last year.
Mr Santos is expected to appear in court on Monday in Central Islip, New York, and change his plea to guilty, a person familiar with the matter told CBS News, the BBC’s partner in the United States.
It is unclear what or how many charges he may plead guilty to.
Had he been found guilty on all counts, he faced a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.
Mr. Santos was removed from office by the U.S. Congress in December 2023 after allegations and a damning ethics report.
The New York Republican became the sixth lawmaker in history to be removed from the House, and the first since 2002.
His short tenure was marked by a series of controversies, alleged lies about his past and accusations of fraud.
He was accused of lying about his Wall Street career, college degrees and Jewish ancestry. He was also accused of falsely claiming his mother died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks and of defrauding Amish dog breeders in Pennsylvania out of thousands of dollars.
A House ethics committee released a damning report accusing him of misusing campaign funds for personal gain.
The commission said Mr. Santos spent campaign money on Botox treatments, credit card debt, OnlyFans (a platform where users pay for content, including pornography) and trips to the coastal enclave of the Hamptons in New York.
Mr. Santos’s prosecutors and legal team were preparing for his trial, which was scheduled to begin in September. He was last in court on Tuesday for a preliminary hearing, according to CBS.
