Disgraced former congressman George Santos has pleaded guilty to two counts of voter fraud after months of denying wrongdoing, cementing his legacy as the “Long Island liar.”
Santos admitted to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in a New York court on Thursday and faces up to 22 years in prison, although he is expected to serve between six and eight years. Under the plea agreement, the former congressman will also have to pay at least $373,749.97 in restitution and forfeit more than $200,000.
Santos was ousted from his House seat on Long Island last year after it was discovered that many of the claims he made to voters in 2022 about his life and bona fides were completely fabricated, such as working on Wall Street and attending New York University.
She has also been accused of funneling political donations into her lavish spending on botox, designer clothes, casino vacations and OnlyFans fees.
“This plea is not just an admission of guilt, it is an acknowledgement that I must be held accountable like any other American who breaks the law,” Santos told reporters outside the courthouse.
After being expelled from Congress in December 2023, Santos was replaced by Democrat Tom Suozzi in a special election, leaving Republicans with an even slimmer majority.
He previously pleaded not guilty to 23 charges in federal court, including identity theft, charging credit card fees to donors without their approval and filing false campaign reports.
Former Rep. George Santos arrives for a court hearing in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, at the Long Island Courthouse, on August 19.
But it all came crashing down in court on Monday, where he threw in the towel on his years-long charade and admitted to abusing his power and misusing funds.
He also allegedly collected $24,000 in unemployment benefits while working, lying about his income on tax forms and fabricating donations to make his campaign look better.
Santos has frequently insisted he was innocent, but several media outlets reported over the weekend that he planned to plead guilty on Monday, citing sources close to him.
During Monday’s hearing, he admitted to having joined the unemployment benefits scheme, requesting benefits to which he was not entitled.
Santos also said he made false statements, including omissions, in the 2022 financial statements he submitted to the House Ethics Committee.
The former congressman also admitted to having committed wire fraud between September and October 2022.
He specifically said the money was being used for television campaign ads, but instead used it to purchase personal items.
“This plea is not just an admission of guilt, it is an acknowledgement that I must be held accountable like any other American who breaks the law,” Santos told reporters outside the courthouse.
His case was due to go to trial on September 9 and Santos at a hearing on Tuesday reiterated his not guilty plea.
But he will now avoid trial altogether and is expected to be sentenced on February 7.
U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York applauded Santos for telling “the truth about his criminal plans” in “what may seem like the first time since he began his campaign for Congress.”
“He admitted to lying, stealing and defrauding people. By pleading guilty, Mr. Santos has acknowledged that he repeatedly defrauded federal and state government institutions, as well as his own family, supporters and constituents,” he added.
Peace added that his “blatant and disgraceful conduct has been exposed” and he will be punished accordingly.
Prosecutors had gathered more than 30 witnesses and submitted 1.3 million pages of evidence to the court, compared with Santos’ five pages.
The Ethics Committee found that Santos stole campaign donations to fund a lavish lifestyle and improperly charged donors’ credit cards at luxury stores.
The shocking dossier also claims the congressman reported fake loans to his political committees so that donors and party committees would want to make more contributions to him.
Santos was found to have tricked people into donating to RedStone Strategies, which in 2022 was listed as a committee dedicated to supporting his candidacy.
He said in court on Monday: “I am committed to making amends and learning from this experience.”
Disgraced former congressman George Santos is expected to plead guilty to election fraud charges after months of denying them.
Santos mocked Congressman Matt Gaetz, making a dramatic appearance at President Biden’s State of the Union address in March.
She then transferred those funds into her personal account, using the money at Sephora, OnlyFans and a $4,000 purchase at Hermes.
The report also found she spent campaign funds on Botox treatments and lavish trips to Atlantic City with her husband.
In April, Santos dropped out of a bid to regain his seat, saying he did not want to split the vote between himself and Nick LaLota to “guarantee” a Democratic victory.
“While Nick and I do not have the same voting record and I remain critical of his abysmal record, I do not want to split the ticket and be responsible for handing the House to the Democrats,” the lying former Long Island congressman said on X.
Santos arrived at the court earlier today to present his new statement.
Protesters held signs in the background as Santos entered the courtroom wearing Ray Ban sunglasses.
“It is clear that with anti-Semitism on the rise in our country we cannot afford to hand the House over to the Democrats, who have a major anti-Semitism problem within their ranks,” he continued.
‘Staying in this race virtually guarantees a victory for Democrats in the race.’
LaLota responded to the news: ‘GPT Chat Translation: He is accepting a plea deal.’
Santos’ bid for Congress did not raise any money last month after he announced his candidacy.
Santos lied pathologically about his life and himself when he ran for Congress in 2022. The tall tales were not revealed until after the election and he was expelled from Congress last year.
George Santos posted his first Cameo posts dressed as his drag character Kitara Ravache with red lipstick, a red feather boa, and a brown wig.
Documents filed with the Federal Election Committee showed no contributions or expenditures to his campaign committee.
Santos announced his candidacy against LaLota after making a dramatic appearance at President Biden’s State of the Union address.
He failed to qualify for the June Republican primary, but could still have run as an independent.
Santos tried several plans to pay his legal fees, including charging $500 per Cameo, which worked for a while until the price dropped dramatically.
He also dabbled in cryptocurrencies, claimed he was making a documentary, and joined OnlyFans as an artist.