Former U.S. Rep. George Santos pleaded responsible to wire fraud and aggravated identification theft, avoiding the federal fraud prosecution that led to his expulsion from Congress simply weeks earlier than he was set to go on trial. | Picture credit score: AP
Former U.S. Rep. George Santos pleaded responsible Monday to legal corruption costs, cementing the downfall of a rookie politician who was ousted from Congress final 12 months after a short, scandal-plagued tenure.
Santos, a Republican, pleaded responsible to at least one depend of wire fraud and one depend of aggravated identification theft, which carries a minimal sentence of two years in jail. He pleaded responsible at a listening to earlier than U.S. District Choose Joanna Seybert in Central Islip, New York, on Lengthy Island.
After pleading responsible, Santos, 36, apologized to his constituents.
“I deeply remorse my conduct and the hurt I’ve precipitated and I settle for full accountability for my actions,” Santos mentioned in court docket, his voice shaking as he learn from a ready assertion.
Santos was indicted on federal costs in Might 2023 for laundering marketing campaign funds to pay for his private bills, charging donors’ bank cards with out their consent and receiving unemployment advantages whereas employed.
Santos had initially pleaded not responsible and had been negotiating with prosecutors to succeed in a deal since final December.
His accusation prompted lawmakers to expel him from the Home of Representatives in December. “To hell with this place,” he mentioned shortly afterward.
Santos spent a lot of his 11 months in workplace mired in scandal and ostracized by fellow lawmakers after it was revealed he had lied about a lot of his previous.
A bipartisan investigation by the Home Ethics Committee discovered he spent marketing campaign cash on Botox, luxurious manufacturers like Hermes and OnlyFans, a web-based platform recognized for its sexual content material.
Santos’ seat, which represents a small portion of New York Metropolis and a few of its jap suburbs, was stuffed in a particular election in February by Democrat Tom Suozzi.
