George Santos Pleads Guilty to Fraud
The gay former congressman is set to be sentenced on February 7 and could serve between six and eight years in prison for financial misdeeds.
Former U.S. Congressman George Santos (R-N.Y.) pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft as part of a plea deal with federal prosecutors.
Santos, a one-term congressman first elected in 2022, had previously been charged with 23 counts of wire fraud, money laundering, credit card fraud, identity theft, theft of public funds, and making false statements to the U.S. House of Representatives. Those charges were in connection to various financial misdeeds and campaign finance violations that Santos had engaged in, which ultimately led to his expulsion from the U.S. House of Representatives in December 2023.
Appearing in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York on Monday, August 19, Santos admitted to claiming relatives had made contributions to his campaign when they had not, in order to meet the fundraising threshold to qualify for financial help from the National Republican Congressional Committee.
He also admitted to committing other forms of fraud, such as charging donors’ credit cards without authorization and deceiving donors by falsely claiming money they donated would be used for TV ads, only to then spend campaign funds on personal expenses.
Santos said that he he stole public money by applying for — and receiving — unemployment benefits that were intended for Americans who had lost work due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, money to which he was not entitled.
“I betrayed the trust of my constituents and supporters,” the 36-year-old said as he entered his plea. “I deeply regret my conduct.”
As part of the deal, Santos will pay restitution of $373,749.97 to those he defrauded and will forfeit $205,002.97 as a penalty for wrongdoing.
Senior Federal Judge Joanna Seybert scheduled a sentencing hearing for February 7. Based on the charges, Santos is expected to serve between six and eight years in prison.
The case against Santos had been set to go to trial in early September, with federal prosecutors claiming they were prepared to call 40 witnesses, including members of Santos’s campaign, employers, and family members to testify in court had he not agreed to the plea deal.
On the steps of the federal courthouse in Islip, N.Y., Santos fought back tears, saying he was “flooded with deep regret” for his conduct.
“This plea is not just an admission of guilt,” he told reporters. “It’s an acknowledgement that I need to be held accountable like any other American that breaks the law. It is clear to me now that I allowed ambition to cloud my judgment, leading me to make decisions that were unethical. Pleading guilty is a step I never imagined I would take, but it is a necessary one, because it is the right thing to do.”
Santos added that he hoped his actions would be a part of “restoring the integrity” he had diminished through his lies.
“It has been the proudest achievement of my life to represent you, and I believe I did so to the best of my abilities, but you also trusted me to represent you with honor and to uphold the values that are essential to our democracy, and in that regard, I failed you,” Santos said.
In a separate, unrelated case, a federal judge tossed out a lawsuit the gay Republican had brought against late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, ABC, and Disney for alleged copyright infringement after Kimmel used some of Santos’s videos to mock the former congressman as part of a special segment.
The judge, Denise Cote, said it was clear that Kimmel had used the clips — which were also available on YouTube, for the purpose of criticism and commentary, which constitutes fair use.
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