Reports: George Santos, accused of fraud, is expected to plead guilty Monday
WASHINGTON - Embattled former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., who has been accused of fraud and misusing campaign funds is expected to plead guilty Monday, according to multiple reports.
Santos was originally indicted on 13 felony counts in May last year for alleged wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and lying to the House of Representatives. He then faced an additional ten counts in October last year accusing him of stealing the identities of campaign donors and using their credit cards.
The New York Times and ABC News reported that the plea will occur in a federal court in New York, and would spare Santos a federal trial expected to begin in September. He previously pleaded not guilty to all counts.
Santos was expelled from Congress last year after a scathing report from the House Ethics Committee alleged that he “blatantly stole from his own campaign,” deceived donors into making payments for his own benefit and violated federal criminal laws.
Despite Santos' dismissal of the report at the time, which he described as an attempt to smear him and force him out of his seat, the House voted 311-114 in a bipartisan fashion to oust Santos.
Contributing: Rachel Looker, Marina Pitofsky