BREAKING NEWS

Former Congressman George Santos pleads guilty to identity theft and wire fraud

Posted

Former congressman George Santos pleaded guilty on Monday in federal court to charges stemming from a superseding indictment, nearly closing the roughly year-long legal saga.

The charges he pleaded guilty to are aggravated identity theft and wire fraud. All other charges, including making false statements and engaging in unlawful monetary transactions, were dropped.

Santos will be sentenced on Feb. 7. He faces up to 22 years in prison and will have to pay a maximum of $373,000 in restitution. Judge Joanna Seybert indicated that he will likely be sentenced to serve between six to eight years based on the severity of his crimes.

"We used the names of our friends, family and supporters," Santos admitted in court, regarding the charge of identity theft. "I accept full responsibility  for my actions," he added in a cracking voice.

He has been under intense scrutiny since news of his widespread lies first appeared a month after being elected, and later admitted that since then it had been  "the most extraordinary, difficult period of my life."

During the hearing, Santos admitted to his role in orchestrating a scheme to defraud campaign donors and lying about his finances in documents submitted to the Federal Election Commission.

The superseding indictment, filed in October of 2023, added several new counts to the initial charges brought against Santos in May of last year, expanding the scope of the alleged crimes.

According to prosecutors, Santos and his co-conspirators solicited contributions from donors under false pretenses, claiming the funds would be used for campaign-related expenses.

Instead, the indictment alleges, Santos used a significant portion of the money for personal expenses, including luxury goods, travel, and to pay off debts.

After leaving the courtroom, Santos, accompanied by his legal team, briefly addressed the crowd of newspeople that had gathered in front of the building. Battling tears, the former congressman chokingly apologized to the victims of his financial scheme, as well as to everyone impacted by his lies and schemes.

"It is clear to me now that I allowed ambition to cloud my judgement, leading me to make decisions that were unethical," Santos said. "To my family, friends, and supporters, and residents of New York's 3rd Congressional District, I offer my deepest apologies."

The former congressman did not take any questions, and after speaking was quickly whisked away. Following Santos, members of the prosecuting team as well as county, state and federal attorneys and members of law enforcement also addressed the crowd.

Breon S. Pearce, attorney for the New York's Eastern District, emphasized that while  justice had been served, "it's always a sad day when an elected official admits to criminal activity." Despite this, Pearce emphasized that now victims of Santos' sordid saga can begin to move forward with their lives.

"After years of telling lies, former congressman George Santos stood in the courthouse right behind me and finally, under oath, told the truth," Pearce said. "That truth is that he's a criminal."