George Santos fraud trial set to begin
A federal judge has decided that former U.S. Rep. George Santos’ fraud trial in September will have an anonymous jury, but prospective jurors won’t have to fill out a written questionnaire gauging their opinions of him.
LONG ISLAND – Multiple sources tell FOX 5 that former U.S. Rep. George Santos is expected to plead guilty to multiple charges related to campaign fraud in a federal court on Monday.
The plea, which is expected to happen in Federal District Court on Long Island, comes less than a week after a judge ruled that jurors would have their identities kept secret from the public.
WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 01: Rep. George Santos (R-NY) leaves the U.S. Capitol after his fellow members of Congress voted to expel him from the House of Representatives on December 01, 2023 in Washington, DC. Charged by the U.S. Department of Justic
Several reports, including the New York Times, say Santos has told prosecutors that he intends to plead guilty and avoid a federal trial – citing lawyers involved in the case and two other people with knowledge of the matter.
George Santos also confirmed to FOX 5 that he himself would appear in court but would not confirm how he would plead.
What’s next for George Santos?
Santos still faces a criminal trial and a House Ethics Committee investigation. FOX 5 NY’s Jodi Goldberg takes a look at what lies ahead.
Santos has already pleaded not guilty to a slew of financial crimes, including lying to Congress about his wealth, collecting unemployment benefits while working, and using campaign contributions to pay for personal expenses such as designer clothing.
Earlier this month, prosecutors said they had turned over more than 1.3 million pages of records, but when pressed by the judge, Santos’ lawyers insisted that they’d already turned over every document in their possession.
Representative George Santos, a Republican from New York, prior to a television interview on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, Dec. 1, 2023. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“For all intents and purposes, Santos has already been found guilty in the court of public opinion,” read the defense memo filed last week, according to AP.
Last month, the federal judge turned down Santos’ request to dismiss three of the 23 charges he faces.
Jury selection was set to begin on Sept. 9 with an anonymous jury. They won’t, however, be required to fill out a written questionnaire gauging their opinions of Santos.
It is unclear whether Santos will change his mind.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
