Former Representative George Santos was expelled from Congress on December 1, and is currently in negotiations to avoid a trial in September where he faces 23 felonies that include wire fraud, money laundering, and theft of public funds.
U.S. Attorney Breon Peace confirmed the plea deal negotiations in a filing Monday, stating, “The parties are presently engaged in plea negotiations with the goal of resolving this matter without the need for a trial.”
Santos previously stated that he would not agree to a plea deal, but said in a interview on Sunday with CBS 2’s Marcia Kramer, “The trial is not until September and a plea is not off the table. So there’s obviously conversations taking place, especially after what happened in Congress, and we’ll see.”
During the interview, Santos also accused Representative Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) of insider trading, saying, “She receives classified briefings as a member of the Ways and Means Committee.… Can somebody explain to me how is it that she miraculously becomes a member of the committee and then she’s doing trades on NYCB with the Signature Bank collapse just a day before having an 80 percent stock hike. That’s not a lucky trade Marcia, that’s a very well informed trade.”
Santos stated that he would like to return to Congress, telling WABC radio host Frank Morano, “I’m not done with public service. I want to go back to Congress.” Santos also said he does not believe Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.Y.) should be expelled, saying, “The reality is, Senator Menendez is entitled to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.”
