George Santos, the former Republican congressman expelled from Congress for lying on his resume and funding a lavish lifestyle with money stolen from donors, pleaded guilty Monday to fraud and identity theft, a federal judge said.
The former New York elected official faces between two and 22 years in prison, and is scheduled to be sentenced on February 7.
“Former Congressman George Santos appeared in court right behind me and finally told the truth under oath, and that truth is that he is a delinquent. Santos pleaded guilty to serious felonies and misdemeanors including fraud and identity theft.
A press release from the Justice Department specifies that Mr. Santos, 36, faces “a minimum of two years in prison and a maximum of 22 years,” and that he will have to pay fines totaling about $578,000.
Mr. Santos, whom the press calls a “serial liar,” was expelled from Congress on December 1, an extremely rare occurrence.
He had been elected a year earlier as a representative for a New York congressional district including part of Queens and part of Nassau County on Long Island.
George Santos initially pleaded not guilty to the 23 charges brought by the Brooklyn federal prosecutor's office.
The son of Brazilian immigrants, he presented himself as the “new face of the Republican Party” during the November 2022 legislative elections, building his image from lies about his education, religion, professional experience, assets and salary.
He went so far as to falsify his family history, claiming to be descended from Jewish Holocaust survivors who allegedly fled Nazi atrocities during World War II. He also falsely claimed to have a degree from New York University and to have worked for American banks Goldman Sachs or Citigroup.
A New York Times investigation exposed his lies while he was already in Congress.
