Ex-US lawmaker, George Santos, of the Republican party has conceded his guilt in wire fraud and serious identity theft charges related to a federal fraud case, resulting in his removal from Congress. His plea was submitted in a Long Island courtroom, just a few weeks prior to his trial which was due to commence at the start of September.
Santos faced felony allegations that he misappropriated political donations, dishonestly used campaign funds for personal expenses, lied about his financial status to Congress, and falsely claimed unemployment benefits whilst working. An ethics enquiry led to his expulsion from the US House, after finding compelling proof of his illegal acts and misuse of his public role for personal gain. His trial is scheduled to begin early next month.
Monday’s court appointment was only arranged on Friday at the request of both the prosecution and Santos’ legal team. No details were provided as to what the request was about. Previously, Santos had denied all charges related to alleged financial crimes which included fraudulent claims of unemployment benefits while working, lying about his wealth to Congress, and wrongly using campaign funds.
Santos, aged 36, was once praised as an up-and-coming political figure after he won a wealthy suburban district covering North Shore of Long Island and a portion of Queens in New York City in 2022. However, his deceptions started to become public even before he officially assumed his role. It was revealed that he had fabricated details about his career at leading Wall Street firms, possessed a non-existent college degree, and other misleading aspects of his life. Soon, his campaign funds were also called into question.
Despite being initially charged in May 2023, Santos refused to step down from office. An ethics inquiry led to his removal from Congress when more than sufficient evidence of his legal misconduct and misuse of his public office for personal gain was revealed.
Although Santos has previously asserted his innocence, in a December interview, he didn’t rule out the possibility of a plea agreement with the prosecution. When asked if he feared jail, he told CBS 2, “I think everyone has a reason to fear imprisonment, it’s certainly not a pleasant situation and I’ll do my best to avoid it.”
On Monday, an unrelated case was dismissed by Judge Denise Cote in the federal court of Manhattan. The lawsuit entailed Mr Santos alleging that Jimmy Kimmel, ABC, and Disney had violated copyright laws and unfairly profited at his expense by using his Cameo app videos for a segment on the Jimmy Kimmel Live TV show. The judge determined that the videos, also available on YouTube, were utilised by Kimmel for criticism and commentary, constituting fair use.
In the lead up to his impending trial, Mr Santos had requested a semi-anonymous jury. His counsel contended that potential public mockery could sway the jury’s ability to judge Mr Santos’ case purely based on the presented facts and legal arguments. Moreover, Mr Santos had proposed a written questionnaire for potential jurors to appraise their perceptions of him. His attorneys reasoned that this was necessitated due to Mr Santos’ perception of being adjudged guilty in the public’s eye.
Judge Joanna Seybert, while okaying the public disclosure of jurors’ identities, disapproved the proposed questionnaire. Prosecutors, on the other hand, had been advocating to include some financial inaccuracies claimed by Mr Santos during his campaign, such as his employment history with Citigroup and Goldman Sachs as well as his alleged ownership of a family business with assets worth approximately 80 million dollars.
Following his admission of guilt in the Long Island federal court, Mr Santos is expected to serve a minimum of six years in prison. He also owes restitution amounting to over $370,000 (€333,000). The guilty plea was issued a few weeks prior to the scheduled court trial. The 36-year-old will remain on bail and at liberty until his sentencing on the 7th of February.