Topline
A former campaign treasurer for embattled Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) pleaded guilty on Thursday to a federal fraud charge, multiple outlets reported, after the beleaguered first-term Republican pleaded not guilty to fraud charges, though the charges against his former treasurer have not been disclosed.
A former campaign treasurer Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) will plead guilty to federal charges.
Key Facts
Former Santos campaign treasurer Nancy Marks pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to defraud the U.S. government in federal District Court in the Eastern District of New York.
Marks, who faces a maximum prison sentence of five years, also implicated Santos on Thursday, admitting that she and Santos recorded false campaign finance documents incorrectly, indicating he loaned his campaign $500,000, when in reality he did not make that loan.
The plea is the latest legal battle against Santos’ campaign, including an indictment of Santos’ former fundraiser Samuel Miele on charges of aggravated identity theft and wire fraud for allegedly impersonating an aide to former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).
Santos, who has faced calls to resign amid a first-term mired in scandals, pleaded not guilty in May to 13 federal charges, including money laundering, fraud and falsifying financial statements to the House—Santos has denied any wrongdoing.
Marks resigned from Santos’ staff in January after working on Santos’ 2022 campaign as well as his unsuccessful 2020 House campaign.
Key Background
Santos was elected to the House representing a district on Long Island, though the 35-year-old has been wrapped in scandals since the midterm elections over accusations of repeated campaign lies and financial violations, as well as alleged sexual misconduct, prompting the House Ethics Committee to open an investigation into him earlier this year. Among the lies Santos has been accused of spreading were contradictory statements about his mother working in the World Trade Center on 9/11 even though she reportedly filed for a green card in 2003 saying she hadn’t worked in the U.S. since 1999, as well as Santos’ claim he worked for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, which he later admitted was fabricated. Santos was arrested and arraigned in New York with 13 federal counts in May, before his release on $500,000 bond. If convicted, he faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. The indictment against Santos says he coaxed donors to direct contributions to a Florida-based limited-liability company under the false pretense that the funds would go to his campaign. Santos allegedly spent that money on credit card payments, car payments and luxury designer clothes. He is also accused of fraudulently filing for unemployment insurance benefits in New York by falsely claiming to be unemployed in 2020, despite making roughly $120,000 in an annual salary at a Florida investment firm.
Tangent
Santos denied reports last month he could be aiming for a plea deal with prosecutors, which would see him ousted from Congress if found guilty. Santos told a Talking Points Memo reporter that those reports were “wildly inaccurate.”
Further Reading
Here Are The Allegations Against George Santos, Indicted On Fraud Charges (Forbes)
George Santos Pleads Not Guilty To Fraud Charges (Forbes)
Here’s Everything George Santos Has Been Accused Of Lying About (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2023/10/05/george-santos-former-campaign-treasurer-pleads-guilty-to-federal-fraud-charge/