CENTRAL ISLIP, New York (Reuters) -Former U.S. Representative George Santos pleaded guilty to criminal corruption charges on Monday, cementing the downfall of a novice politician who was expelled from Congress last year after a brief, scandal-plagued tenure.
Santos, a Republican, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft, which carries a minimum two-year prison sentence. He entered his guilty plea at a hearing before U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert in Central Islip, New York, on Long Island.
After pleading guilty, Santos, 36, apologized to his constituents.
“I deeply regret my conduct and the harm it has caused and accept full responsibility for my actions,” Santos said in court, his voice shaking as he read from a prepared statement.
Santos is set to be sentenced on Feb. 7. He could face as much as 22 years in prison, and waived his right to appeal any sentence less than 95 months – just under eight years – as part of a plea deal with federal prosecutors.
Santos was hit with federal charges in May 2023 for laundering campaign funds to pay for his personal expenses, charging donors’ credit cards without their consent, and receiving unemployment benefits while he was employed. He has been free on $500,000 bond since his arrest.
Santos had initially pleaded not guilty. He had been in plea talks with prosecutors since last December.
His indictment 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, marginalized by his fellow lawmakers and mocked by late-night TV comedians following revelations that he had lied about much of his past.
During his campaign, Santos claimed that he attended New York University, that he had worked at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, and that his grandparents had fled the Nazis during World War Two. None of those claims were true.
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.
(Reporting by Jack Queen in Central Islip, New York, and Luc Cohen in New York, Writing by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Richard Chang and Jonathan Oatis)
