(AFP) – Scandal-plagued former congressman George Santos, a New York Republican who was ejected from the House after being charged with bankrolling a lavish lifestyle with stolen donor cash, intends to plead guilty on Monday, US media reported. The 36-year-old’s outlandish downfall came after it was revealed he had fabricated almost his entire backstory and was indicted on dozens of federal charges in 2023 of stealing from campaign donors, credit card fraud, money laundering and identity theft.
Santos, who has previously denied the charges, allegedly used donor money for Botox treatments and the OnlyFans porn website, as well as luxury Italian goods and vacations to the Hamptons and Las Vegas, according to a congressional ethics committee. US media reported Saturday that Santos is expected to plead guilty in federal court in Central Islip, New York, to multiple counts. The story was first reported by Talking Points Memo, which cited Republican donors who were fleeced by Santos and who were notified of his plea deal by federal prosecutors.
Terms of the deal and any sentencing were not yet clear, according to the New York Times. The ex-lawmaker, who was otherwise scheduled to head to trial on September 9, could still change his mind. Santos swept into the House of Representatives in 2022, helping the Republicans grab a tiny majority, but it quickly emerged that almost his entire backstory was a fabrication, from his education and religion to his personal history and professional experience.
His bizarre biographical fabrications included claiming to have worked for Goldman Sachs, being Jewish, and having been a college volleyball star. He was ultimately doomed by a congressional ethics investigation that found “overwhelming evidence” of misconduct and accused him of seeking to “fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy.” Santos became only the third person to be ejected as a US lawmaker since the Civil War, a rebuke previously reserved for traitors and convicted criminals.
He was initially indicted on 13 charges in May 2023, before 10 more counts were added in October. In February, voters in his suburban New York district picked Democrat Tom Suozzi to replace him.
© 2024 AFP
