Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to reflect the correct restitution amount
(NewsNation) — Former U.S. Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., pleaded guilty to two felony charges against him on Monday afternoon.
Of the 23 counts against him, Santos pleaded to one of wire fraud, and another of aggravated identity theft. He’s been ordered to pay $373,749 in restitution within 30 days. Under federal sentencing guidelines, he faces at least six years in prison.
“I betrayed the trust of my constituents and supporters. I deeply regret my conduct,” Santos said, adding that he accepts responsibility and wants to make amends. As he spoke in court, Santos’ voice was shaky, and he talked so quickly that the judge asked him to stop and slow down at one point.
Once seen as a rising political star after flipping a suburban district covering Long Island’s North Shore and part of Queens in 2022, Santos came under scrutiny after reports emerged he had lied about having a career at top Wall Street firms and a college degree. This led to questions popping up about Santos’ campaign funds.
Santos was first indicted on federal charges last year but refused to resign from office. He was ultimately expelled from Congress after an ethics investigation found “overwhelming evidence” that he had broken the law and exploited his public position for his own profit.
Two of Santos’ campaign aides previously pleaded guilty to crimes related to the campaign. Ex-treasurer Nancy Marks pleaded guilty in October to a fraud conspiracy charge, and former fundraiser Sam Miele pleaded guilty a month later to a federal wire fraud charge.
Santos and Marks, authorities said, devised a scheme to raise money for the campaign by submitting “materially false reports” to the Federal Election Committee, in which they inflated fundraising numbers to seem financially viable to the national party committee, authorities said. To qualify for logistical and financial support from the national party committee, Santos and Marks told the FEC that at least 11 of their family members had made significant contributions to the campaign — even though both knew that wasn’t the case, the Department of Justice said.
In addition, the DOJ said, Santos charged his political contributors’ credit cards without their authorization and transferred the funds to his campaign and his own bank account. While running for representative, the DOJ said, Santos made false statements to Congress that vastly overstated his income and assets as well.
He also applied for and received unemployment benefits in 2020, despite working as the regional director of a Florida-based investment firm at the time, the DOJ said. Santos continued receiving these benefits until April 2021, as he “falsely affirmed” he was still eligible for them each week.
“Today, for what may seem like the first time since he started his campaign for Congress, Mr. Santos told the truth about his criminal schemes. He admitted to lying, stealing and conning people,” U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace said in a statement. “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. His flagrant and disgraceful conduct has been exposed and will be punished. Mr. Santos’s conviction demonstrates this Office’s enduring commitment to rooting out corruption and grift by public officials.”
Santos’ sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 7, 2024.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
