Last-minute hearing scheduled in George Santos fraud trial, signaling possible plea deal: report

Lying ex-Rep. George Santos is apparently teed up to plead guilty in federal court Monday to lining his own pockets with campaign funding, according to a report. Victims of the former New York Republican congressman told Talking Points Memo Friday that federal prosecutors alerted them to a possible plea deal that would see Santos admit

Lying ex-Rep. George Santos is apparently teed up to plead guilty in federal court Monday to lining his own pockets with campaign funding, according to a report.

Victims of the former New York Republican congressman told Talking Points Memo Friday that federal prosecutors alerted them to a possible plea deal that would see Santos admit to making unauthorized charges on the campaign credit card for his own personal use.

“They told me that he is pleading guilty on Monday,” one of the donors told TPM.

George Santos, expelled from the U.S. House of Representatives, arriving in court in Long Island for his corruption trial
Federal prosecutors told ex-donors that George Santos will plead guilty in federal court as part of a plea deal. REUTERS

“He should be held completely accountable and he is, as far as I can tell, guilty of quite a bit. I know for certain that he lied to my face.”

The docket shows that an in-person hearing was scheduled for Monday afternoon in Central Islip at the fed’s request after both parties asked to push back an upcoming deadline in the pre-trial process.

The switch-up could signal that such an agreement is in the words.

The Post reached out to the Department of Justice and Santos’ defense team for comment.

Police car parked outside Alfonse M. D'Amato U.S. Courthouse in Central Islip, New York, with George Santos appearing in court
The hearing was scheduled for Monday afternoon in Central Islip, the docket shows. REUTERS

Santos did not respond to messages asking about the possible plea deal.

The federal trial is slated to start in September. Prosecutors told a judge they expect to call at least three dozen witnesses, including some victims of Santos’ alleged crimes.

Santos pleaded not guilty earlier this week to a range of financial crimes, including lying to Congress about his wealth, collecting unemployment benefits while actually working and using campaign contributions to pay for personal expenses such as designer clothing.

His lawyers had argued in recent court filings that the written form “concerning potential jurors’ knowledge, beliefs, and preconceptions” was needed because of the extensive negative media coverage surrounding Santos.

Santos was  expelled from Congress in December after an ethics investigation found “overwhelming evidence” he had broken the law and exploited his public position for his own profit.

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