![George Santos](https://queerty-prodweb.s3.amazonaws.com/2024/04/george-santos-shutterstock-nyc-1556-872x454.webp)
Despite his earlier protestations of innocence, former GOP Rep. George Santos yesterday pleaded guilty to two felonies.
The apparent plea deal comes a few weeks before Santos, 36, was due to stand trial on 23 charges relating to wire fraud, identity theft, and making false statements to the Federal Election Commission.
Santos appeared in court in Long Island, New York, and pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
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Although the plea means he now avoids a prolonged trial, he is still likely to face jail time. Aggravated identity theft alone carries a mandatory two-year jail sentence. Legal experts suspect he might get between 6-7 years.
Comedown
It’s a humbling, crashing comedown for the first out-gay Republican lawmaker elected to Congress.
Not soon after his unexpected victory in November 2022, reports began to emerge of audacious lies Santos had told on his résumé. This led authorities to take a closer look at his murky campaign finances.
In December 2023, following months of controversy, fellow lawmakers voted to expel Santos from the House.
Yesterday, Santos gave an emotional speech to reporters outside the courthouse.
“It’s clear to me now that I allowed ambition to cloud my judgment, leading me to make decisions that were unethical and guilty,” Santos said.
“Pleading guilty is a step I never imagined I’d take, but it is a necessary one because it is the right thing to do,” Santos continued. “It’s not only a recognition of my misrepresentations to others, but more profoundly, it is my own recognition of the lies I told myself over these past years.”
George Santos speaks outside court just now after pleading guilty. He is facing a 2-year minimum mandatory but probably going to get more than that. Sentencing is Feb 7. Probably hoping for a Trump pardon. pic.twitter.com/zzQd5avGC3
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) August 19, 2024
Santos ordered to come up with money
Santos will be sentenced on February 7. He must also pay nearly $373,750 in restitution and forfeit over $205,000. He needs to come up with the latter at least 30 days before his sentencing.
The latter point was argued somewhat toward the end of Santos’ court appearance yesterday. His attorneys said he would try to come up with the cash but, “at this time he doesn’t have the money.”
Santos buried his head in his hands as his attorneys argued the matter with prosecutors. The latter said that if Santos was unable to come up with the cash, they’d move to liquidate his assets.
“Today, for what may seem like the first time since he started his campaign for Congress, Mr. Santos told the truth about his criminal schemes. He admitted to lying, stealing and conning people,” said Breon Peace, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, afterward.
Santos’ attempt to sue Jimmy Kimmel is tossed out
Santos’ guilty plea came on the same day he suffered another, unrelated legal defeat.
At the start of the year, Santos started selling personalized Cameo videos. Jimmy Kimmel ordered some using a fake name. He then played clips from them on his TV show.
Santos was outraged and tried to sue for copyright infringement. He accused Kimmel of “deliberate deception and wrongful appropriation”.
District Judge Denise Cote yesterday dismissed Santos’ claims. She said Kimmel’s “fair use” of the videos was not cause for legal action.
“In short, a reasonable observer would understand that [Jimmy Kimmel Live] showed the Videos to comment on the willingness of Santos — a public figure who had recently been expelled from Congress for allegedly fraudulent activity including enriching himself through a fraudulent contribution scheme — to say absurd things for money,” Cote wrote in her decision.
America’s Next Top Model
Over the weekend, Santos talked to the New York Post about his legal woes. He admitted he’d told lies.
“I know lying’s inexcusable. I know I shouldn’t lie. Look, I’m human. I’ve made mistakes,” Santos told journalist Cindy Adams.
“I should sue producers of ‘America’s Next Top Model’ because I watched too much of that as a kid. I created all these insecurities about myself,” he claimed, bizarrely.
Another snippet of the podcast interview has gone viral online over the last 24 hours. Whilst in Congress, Santos was known for his shirt/sweater combos. It turns out he never wore dress shirts but instead wore special T-shirts with formal shirt collars and shirt sleeves attached.
“I’ve been using the sweater over the collared shirt, which, by the way, the dress shirt is fake. It’s a T-shirt with a collar and cuff links … there’s a bunch of those bozos in Washington now that use the same look.”
Santos said he went for that option as it’s “more comfortable and breathable.”
The admission was deemed as one deceit too many for some online.
the audaciousness of this man https://t.co/TRSlVduxdd pic.twitter.com/ByHcEK030C
— derek guy (@dieworkwear) August 19, 2024
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George Santos reveals his OnlyFans plans and why he “cannot stand gay culture”
A podcaster also asked Santos if he was top or bottom.
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George Santos now says he was a teen fashion model and posts photos to prove it
Santos issued a warning to anyone wanting to follow in his footsteps as a teen model: “I was naive and young…”
Jim
A grifter grifts
CNY1983
the poster boy for todays republican party: lie, steal, cheat – it’s all good.
abfab
Woody is now beyond devastated. Poor thing.
Mattster
This all comes down to the shocking failure of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and especially the NY state Democratic party. They did not one iota of opposition research on this incredibly blatant liar and grifter and lost the (very winnable!) seat, along with several others in NY. If not for these failures, democrats might have held on to the house. NY democrats had better shape up the state party. Maybe they could get a governor who isn’t an obnoxious mess as well.
Honestly, how did this bozo get on the ballot and win in a district that Biden, both Clintons, Gore, and Obama all carried?
abfab
How? He lied. Just like DJT did. And he will continue doing so.
LarryG62
Girl better step up selling Cameo videos to rustle up the dough he owes.
Kangol2
George Kitara Ravache Santos was a MAGA icon. Now, if the judge does the right thing, he’ll get to be a prison superstar.
Kangol2
@Mattster, just a reminder that after George Kitara Ravache Santos was expelled from his seat, the Democrats won it back. It wasn’t just the Democratic Party that was derelict, but the GOP for allowing Kitara to win the nomination. That’s all water under the bridge now.
barryaksarben
W H A T the Hell? no this was the Republican Party and its total lack of concern for who THEY let carry their banner for they so CALLED Conservative Party which was led at the time and still is by the BIGGEST liar ever to reach the heights of the OVAL OFFICE and to destroy the Republican Party awith his embrace of “ALTERNATIVE FACTS”. There was NO ONE in the Democratic Party who ever thought there was an honest man in the opposition party in any race in this nation. Your attempt to try to lay the blame other than where it truly belongs typical of a trumpet quite honestly. But thanks for playing you can steal the board game on your way out and justify it with whatever thru the looking glass “alternative fact” you want but we will not believe you
Mister Dawson
He knew what he was doing and he knew he was lying and lying and lying…. Now that he is potentially going to jail and Trump couldn’t/wouldn’t save him he admits to his crimes. You get no pity or absolution from me.
When anyone is openly LGBT+ in the public eye you know you represent all of us we collectively get lump together. This is the unfortunate price they and we all pay. The first woman, the first black it doesn’t matter. We have no say therefore our threshold is held higher.
George you did us all harm. Do us a favor and just go away….forever!!!
marshal phillips
It all comes down to the not-so-shocking failure of the NY GOP to vet Kitara Ravache Santos.
She was hot stuff in Rio de Janiero back in the day.
Perhaps she and Trump can share a cell and swap stories of misdeeds and adventures in deceit.
abfab
With a bunk bed made out of reinforced cinder blocks.
abfab
Another couple of dingbats.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s running mate said in a podcast interview that they were considering dropping their struggling independent presidential bid and endorsing Republican Donald J. Trump, blaming the Democratic Party for what she said was a “sabotage” of their campaign.
marshal phillips
Kennedy’s own family “sabotaged” his campaign. They don’t support him!
abfab
And that worm was of no use at all!
abfab
These are more delusional conspiracies floated by a couple of unhinged candidates. If they want to know who’s sabotaging their campaign, all they need to do is look in the mirror.
Mack
abfab, Harris turned RFK Jr down for a Cabinet position now he want’s to endorse Trump because Trump said he was open to appointing him to a Cabinet position. LOL.
abfab
Hi Mack, yes. He’s one big mess isn’t he. The R list of fools only grows
An attorney for the far-right Oath Keepers pleaded guilty Wednesday to instructing members of the far-right group to delete their text messages after the January 6, 2021, US Capitol riot on behalf of its leader Stewart Rhodes and DJT.