Former New York Rep. George Santos pleaded guilty in court Monday. federal court The Long Island Commitment Wire transfer fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Santos, a Republican, was scheduled to go on trial starting next month on a 23-count superseding indictment charging him with wire fraud, identity theft and making false statements to the Justice Department. Federal Election Commission.
The disgraced 36-year-old former congressman is scheduled to be sentenced on February 7 after his bold lies about his personal and professional background were exposed a month before he first took office in January 2023.
His crimes include filing fraudulent FEC reports, misappropriating funds from campaign contributors, making unauthorized charges to credit cards, stealing identity and obtaining unemployment benefits. He faces a possible minimum of 2 years in prison and a maximum of 22 years in prison. No authority to do so.
As part of his plea, Santos must pay nearly $373,750 in restitution and forfeit more than $205,000.
“I deeply regret my actions, I accept full responsibility for my actions and I understand that my actions betrayed the trust of my supporters,” Santos said during his plea hearing.
“I made false statements so that the NRCC (National Republican Congressional Committee) would spend money on my campaign,” Santos said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Harris said during the hearing that Santos’ victims included donors, his family and state and federal officials.
A former fundraiser for Santos and the former treasurer of his congressional campaign each pleaded guilty last fall to federal criminal charges related to Santos.
“Today, for the first time since he began his campaign for Congress, Mr. Santos appears to have told the truth about his criminal scheme. He admitted to lying, stealing and defrauding others,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace. Eastern District, whose office prosecuted Santos.
In December, Santos was expelled from the House of Representatives by a vote of 311 to 114.
Santos, elected in 2022, is the first House member in modern history to be expelled from the House without first being convicted of a federal crime.
He announced a month ago that he would not seek re-election in 2024 to represent New York’s 3rd Congressional District.
Santos’ decision came after a House ethics report found “substantial evidence” that he committed campaign fraud and other violations.
The report found that Santos “blatantly stole his campaign” and “attempted to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy for personal financial gain.”
Among other things, Santos used $4,000 in donated funds from his campaign to make purchases at luxury clothing store Hermes, as well as smaller purchases at OnlyFans, an online site known for its adult content.
Santos came under criticism soon after his election in November 2022.
In December of that year, new york times published an article titled: “Who is Rep.-elect Jorge Santos? His resume may be largely fictional.”
The New York Times report detailed a record of Santos claiming that Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, two major companies he had worked for, had no record of hiring him, as well as other claims he made that were not substantiated when reporters checked.
Santos’ attorney, Joe Murray, said in a statement to The Times about the article, “Congressman-elect Santos has enemies in the New York Times who are seeking to tarnish his reputation with these defamatory accusations. Not surprising.
Last October, Santos’ former campaign treasurer Nancy Marks pleaded guilty to conspiring with him to commit wire fraud, making material false statements to the Federal Election Commission and aggravated identity theft.
A month later, Samuel Miele, a fundraiser for Santos’ campaign, pleaded guilty to wire fraud for impersonating a top aid worker for former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy while soliciting donations for Santos. . Miele also admitted charging personal fees to donors’ credit cards.
– Additional reports Adam Rice NBC News
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