Expelled former Rep. Santos to plead guilty to corruption charges, source says
2024.08.19 06:31
By Luc Cohen
(Reuters) – Former U.S. Representative George Santos, who was expelled from Congress last year, is expected to plead guilty to criminal corruption charges on Monday, a person familiar with the matter said.
Santos, a Republican, faces federal charges of laundering campaign funds to pay for his personal expenses, charging donors’ credit cards without their consent, and receiving unemployment benefits while he was employed, among other counts. He has been in plea talks with prosecutors since December.
He is expected to plead guilty to multiple counts when he appears in federal court in Long Island, New York, the source said on condition of anonymity.
Those accusations prompted lawmakers to expel him from the House of Representatives in December. “To hell with this place,” he said shortly afterward.
Santos spent much of his 11 months in office engulfed in scandal and marginalized by his fellow lawmakers following revelations that he had lied about much of his past.
A bipartisan investigation by the House Ethics Committee found he spent campaign money on Botox, luxury brands such as Hermes, and OnlyFans, an online platform known for sexual content.
Santos’ seat, which represents a small slice of New York City and some of its eastern suburbs, was filled in a special election in February by Democrat Tom Suozzi.
