George Santos negotiating plea deal in fraud case after expulsion from House of Representatives
Santos, 35, was expelled from Congress on Dec. 1 after the House Ethics Committee found “substantial evidence” he broke the law.
George Santos is “actively negotiating” with prosecutors to resolve the criminal charges against him, the ousted Republican congressman’s lawyer told a federal judge one day after the government said plea talks were under way.
“I’d like to put my efforts toward that resolution,” defense attorney Joseph Murray told US District Judge Joanna Seybert at a hearing Tuesday in Central Islip, New York. He asked the judge to keep a Sept. 9 trial date on the calendar for now.
Prosecutors on Monday disclosed in a letter to Seybert that plea talks were underway and asked her to hold the trial as early as May if no agreement was reached. At Tuesday’s hearing the judge said she wasn’t inclined to speed things up, citing a full docket of cases and trials delayed by the pandemic.
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“At this point it looks like September is going to be the earliest,” she said. “And we don’t have the issue of the defendant having to go to Washington on a regular basis.”
Santos, 35, was expelled from Congress on Dec. 1 after the House Ethics Committee found “substantial evidence” he broke the law. He was first charged in May, accused of stealing public funds and lying on federal disclosure forms. In October prosecutors filed a revised indictment with additional fraud charges.
The judge did note that “September is a long way off” and said she might later consider adjusting the trial schedule. Santos is scheduled to return to court on Jan. 23.
Murray complained that the government had swamped him with evidence, saying he has received more than a million pages already. Seybert suggested the defense hire another lawyer to help him.
Asked for comment as he left the Long Island courthouse, Santos shook his head.
“I’m not talking to the press,” he said, “and wish you guys would take a break from saying my name.”