Controversial former Congressman George Santos, a Republican from New York, intends to plead guilty on August 19, US media report.
Santos was kicked out of the House of Representatives after he was accused of funding a lavish lifestyle with stolen money from donors, AFP reported.
The 36-year-old Santos's severe downfall came after it was revealed that he had fabricated almost his entire past and in 2023 he was indicted on dozens of federal charges of stealing from campaign donors, credit card fraud, money laundering and identity theft.
Santos, who previously denied the charges, has used donors' money for Botox treatments and the pornographic website OnlyFans, as well as for luxury Italian goods and vacations in the Hamptons and Las Vegas, according to the congressional ethics committee.
US media reported that Santos is expected to plead guilty in federal court in Central Islip, New York, to multiple charges.
The story was first reported by Talking Points Memo, which cited Republican donors who were defrauded by Santos and who were told of his plea deal by federal prosecutors.
According to the New York Times, the terms of the deal and the eventual sentence are not yet clear.
The former lawmaker, who was otherwise scheduled to stand trial on Sept. 9, could still change his mind.
Santos entered the House of Representatives in 2022, helping Republicans grab a small majority, but it quickly became clear that nearly his entire past was fictional, from his education and religion to his personal history and professional experience.
His bizarre biographical fabrications included the claim that he worked for Goldman Sachs, that he was Jewish and that he was a college volleyball star.
He was ultimately doomed by a congressional ethics investigation that found "irrefutable evidence" of misconduct and accused him of trying to "fraudulently exploit every aspect of his candidacy for the House of Representatives."
Santos became only the third person to be ousted as a U.S. legislator since the Civil War, a censure previously reserved for traitors and convicted felons.
He was originally indicted on 13 counts in May 2023, then 10 more were added in October.
In February, voters in his suburban New York district elected Democrat Tom Swotzie as his replacement. | BGNES
