CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. — Former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) pleaded guilty Monday to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, avoiding a criminal trial that was set to begin next month.
Though Santos originally faced 23 felony counts, his lesser plea is still set to carry jail time. Aggravated identity theft carries a two-year mandatory minimum, and the judge estimated his current likely sentence is between 6.25 years and 7.25 years, based on federal guidelines.
“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 outside the courthouse, choking up.
“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.”