Former US Rep George Santos to plead guilty in fraud case

Former New York congressman George Santos is expected to plead guilty in his wide-ranging fraud case, according to US media reports.

Mr Santos, who became the first member of Congress to be expelled in more than 20 years, is facing 23 federal felony charges that allege wire fraud, money laundering and the misuse of campaign funds.

The Republican had pleaded not guilty last year.

Mr Santos is expected to appear in court on Monday in Central Islip, New York and change that plea, a person familiar with the matter told CBS News, the BBC’s US news partner.

It is unclear which or how many charges he may plead guilty to.

He was facing a maximum prison sentence of 20 years if convicted on all counts.

Mr Santos was removed from the US Congress in December 2023 after the charges and a damning ethics report.

The New York Republican became only the sixth lawmaker in history to be removed from the House, and the first since 2002.

His short tenure in office was marked by a slew of controversy, alleged lies about his past and allegations of fraud.

He had been accused of lying about a career on Wall Street, college degrees, and having Jewish ancestry. He was also accused of falsely claiming his mother died in the 9/11 terror attacks and scamming Amish dog breeders in Pennsylvania for thousands of dollars.

A House ethics panel released a damning report accusing him of misusing campaign funds for his personal benefit.

The panel said Mr Santos spent campaign money on Botox treatments, credit card debt, OnlyFans – a platform where users pay for content, including pornography – and trips to the Hamptons seaside enclave in New York.

Prosecutors and Mr Santos’s legal team had been preparing for his trial, which was scheduled to start in September. He was last in court on Tuesday for a pre-trial hearing, according to CBS.