On Aug. 19, former U.S. Rep. George Santos (R-New York) pleaded guilty to federal charges related to fraud involving his 2022 House campaign—weeks before his federal trial was set to begin.
According to CNN, Santos pleaded to charges of committing wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. The development marked an end to the nearly two-year saga that saw Santos lie about his resume as he competed to be elected to New York’s 3rd Congressional District. He won the seat but was eventually charged with 23 federal counts and was expelled from Congress last year.
Prosecutors, in two groups of charges last year, alleged Santos committed fraud related to COVID-19 unemployment benefits, misappropriated campaign funds and lied about his personal finances on House disclosure reports. Santos insisted after the second batch of charges that he would not accept a plea deal and that he would seek re-election of his seat.
A judge has said the plea deal may come with an estimated sentencing range between six to eight years, per CBS News. He’s set to be sentenced on Feb. 7 at federal court in Central Islip. Under the agreement, Santos will have to repay at least $373,000.
Also on Aug. 19, U.S. District Judge Denise Cote, an appointee of former President Clinton, dismissed Santos’ lawsuit against Jimmy Kimmel over the late-night host’s requests for personalized videos on Cameo, The Hill reported.
Santos sued Kimmel earlier this year, claiming Kimmel engaged in “deliberate deception and wrongful appropriation” by requesting videos under a fictitious name to broadcast them on his ABC show for a national audience. Santos claimed Kimmel and his network committed copyright infringement, fraudulent inducement, breach of contract and unjust enrichment; Cote dismissed all four claims, saying Kimmel’s airing of the videos was protected by the “fair use” exemption to copyright protections.