Disgraced ex-congressman George Santos pleaded guilty to two campaign fraud charges after months of denying wrongdoing, cementing his legacy as the ‘Long Island Liar.’
Santos admitted to committing wire fraud and aggravated identify theft in New York court Thursday and faces up to 22 years in jail, but is expected to serve between six to eight years. According to the plea agreement, the former congressman will also have to pay at least $373,749.97 in restitution and forfeit over $200,000.
Santos was expelled from his House seat on Long Island last year after it was discovered that scores of the claims he made to voters in 2022 about his life and bona fides were completely fabricated, like working on Wall Street and going to New York University.
He also has been accused of funneling political donations into his lavish spending on botox, designer clothes, casino holidays, and OnlyFans fees.
‘This plea is not just an admission of guilt, it’s an acknowledgment that I need to be held accountable like any other American that breaks the law,’ Santos told press outside the courthouse.
After he was thrown out of Congress in December 2023, Santos was replaced by Democrat Tom Suozzi in a special election, leaving Republicans with an even smaller majority.
He previously pleaded not guilty to 23 charges in federal court, including identity theft, charging his donors’ credit cards without their approval, and submitting false campaign reports.
Former Rep. George Santos arrives for a court hearing at U.S. District Court Eastern District of New York Long Island Courthouse on August 19
But that all crumbled in court Monday, where he tossed in the towel on his years-long charade and admitted to abusing his power and misusing funds.
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He also allegedly collected $24,000 in unemployment benefits while he did have a job, lying about his income on disclosure forms, and inventing donations to make his campaign look better.
Santos frequently insisted he was innocent, but multiple news outlets reported over the weekend that he planned to plead guilty on Monday, citing sources close to him.
He admitted during Monday’s hearing to the unemployment benefits scheme, applying to get perks to which he was not entitled.
Santos also said that he made false statements – including omissions – on financial statements in 2022 that he gave to the House Ethics Committee.
The ex-congressman further admitted to committing wire fraud from September to October 2022.
He specifically said that he said money was being used for TV campaign ad spots but he instead used it for personal items.
‘This plea is not just an admission of guilt, it’s an acknowledgment that I need to be held accountable like any other American that breaks the law,’ Santos told press outside the courthouse
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His case was supposed to go to trial on September 9 and Santos at a hearing on Tuesday reiterated his not guilty plea.
But now he will avoid a 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 schemes’ for ‘what may seem like the first time since he started his campaign for Congress.’
‘He admitted to lying, stealing and conning 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 went on.
Peace added that his ‘flagrant and disgraceful conduct has been exposed’ and will be punished accordingly.
Prosecutors had lined up more than 30 witnesses and gave 1.3 million pages of evidence to the court – compared to 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 stunning dossier also stated the congressman reported fake loans to his political committees so that donors and party committees would want to make further contributions to him.
It found Santos deceived people into donating to RedStone Strategies, which in 2022 was listed as a committee dedicated to supporting his candidacy.
He said in court Monday: ‘I am committed to making amends and learning from this experience’
Disgraced ex-congressman George Santos is expected to plead guilty to campaign fraud charges after months of denying them
Santos yucked it up with Congressman Matt Gaetz, making a dramatic appearance at President Biden’s State of the Union address in March
He then transferred those funds to his personal account, using the money on Sephora, OnlyFans, and a $4,000 purchase at Hermes.
The report also found he spent campaign funds on Botox treatments and lavish Atlantic City trips with his husband.
Santos in April dropped a bid to reclaim his seat, claiming he did not want to split the vote between himself and Nick LaLota to ‘guarantee’ a Democratic victory.
‘Although Nick and I don’t have the same voting record and I remain critical of his abysmal record, I don’t want to split the ticket and be responsible for handing the house to Dems,’ the lying Long Island former congressman claimed on X.
Santos arrived to court earlier today to enter his new plea
Protestors held signs in the background as Santos entered court wearing Ray Ban sunglasses
‘It is clear that with the rise of antisemitism in our country we cannot afford to hand the house to Dems as they have a very large issue with antisemitism in their ranks,’ he went on.
‘Staying in this race all but guarantees a victory for the Dems in the race.’
LaLota shot back at the news: ‘Chat GPT translation: He’s taking a plea deal.’
Santos’ comeback bid for Congress raised no money at all last month after he announced his bid.
Santos pathologically lied about his life and himself when running 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 few Cameo messages dressed as his drag persona Kitara Ravache in red lipstick, a red feather boa and a brown wig
Filings with the Federal Election Committee showed no contributions and no expenditures for his campaign committee.
Santos announced a run against LaLota after making a dramatic appearance at President Biden’s State of the Union address.
He did not qualify for the Republican primary in June, but could have still run as an independent.
Santos tried various schemes to pay his legal fees, including charging $500 on Cameo – which worked for a while until the price dropped dramatically.
He also dabbled in cryptocurrency, claimed he was making a documentary, and joined OnlyFans as a performer.