Disgraced gay former congressman George Santos pleads guilty to fraud charges
George Santos faces more than six years in prison under federal sentencing guidelines and owes at least $374,000 in restitution. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Scandal-hit former Republican congressman George Santos has pleaded guilty to fraud charges.
Santos was expelled from the US congress in December – the first out LGBTQ+ politician to be thrown out, and one of only six in history – in the wake of ethics violations and criminal charges levied against him. He is now facing between six and eight years in prison after admitting to two federal counts of fraud.
He appeared in court in Central Islip, New York, on Monday (19 August), where he admitted wire fraud and aggravated identity theft by stealing the IDs of campaign staff, and misusing campaign funds, BBC News reported.
The former New York lawmaker’s tenure, even before being sworn in following his election victory in 2022, was littered with lies, rumours and allegations of fraud. His scandals finally caught up with him, resulting in him facing 23 federal charges, including misusing campaign funds, fraud related to COVID-19 unemployment benefits and wire fraud.
In a statement read out in court, Santos, who had previously denied any wrong-doing, said: “I deeply regret my conduct and the harm it has caused and accept full responsibility for my actions.”
He admitted to theft and applying for unemployment benefits he wasn’t entitled to and making false statements and omissions on financial statements submitted to the House Ethics Committee and the Federal Election Commission.
A plea agreement requires Santos to pay compensation of at least $374,000 (approximately £288,000). The aggravated identity theft charge carries a two-year mandatory prison term that must be served consecutively with any sentence for the wire fraud charge, according to the BBC.
In March, the former congressman announced on social media that he was leaving the Republican Party in a bid to pursue a comeback as an independent. The following month he revived his drag persona, Kitara Ravache, in an attempt to “make some money for charity”, despite initially saying claims that he was a drag queen were “categorically false”.
Sentencing is scheduled for 7 February.
