Former Rep. George Santos is expected to plead guilty in fraud case, AP source says : NPR

George Santos leaves the Capitol after being expelled from the House of Representatives in Washington on Dec. 1, 2023.

Stephanie Scarbrough/AP

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Stephanie Scarbrough/AP

Former U.S. Rep. George Santos is expected to plead guilty to multiple counts in his federal fraud case, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Santos, a Republican from New York, is expected to enter the plea at a court hearing planned for Monday on Long Island, the person said.

The person could not publicly discuss details of the plea and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

The court hearing was scheduled for Monday afternoon after prosecutors and Santos’ lawyers jointly requested one on Friday. They also sought and received a delay in certain pre-trial deadlines.

The news comes just weeks before jury selection was set to begin on Sept. 9. Santos has previously pleaded not guilty to a range of financial crimes, including lying to Congress about his wealth, collecting unemployment benefits while actually working and using campaign contributions to pay for personal expenses such as designer clothing.

The New York Republican was expelled from Congress in December after an ethics investigation found “overwhelming evidence” he had broken the law and exploited his public position for his own profit.