By Federal prosecutors on Monday said in a court filing that they are “engaged in plea negotiations” with former Rep. George Santos of New York to potentially resolve his pending criminal fraud case.
The disclosure came in a letter from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn to Judge Joanna Seybert, proposing a joint agenda with Santos’ lawyer for a previously scheduled status conference Tuesday in Long Island federal court.
“The parties are presently engaged in plea negotiations with the goal of resolving this matter without the need for a trial,” prosecutors wrote.
“The parties wish to continue those negotiations over the next thirty days.”
A lawyer for Santos did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter, which was the first time that prosecutors had publicly said there were plea negotiations in the case.
Santos, 35, in an interview with CBS New York on Sunday said, “Look, in the essence of everything going on, a plea is not off the table, obviously, at this point.”
“I’m gonna negotiate the best I can,” he said.
Santos, a Republican who had represented a district covering parts of Queens and Long Island, is charged with multiple counts of wire fraud, identity theft, and making false statements.
He was expelled by Congress at the beginning of December following a scathing ethics report into his conduct. His removal in the middle of his first term reduced an already ultra-slim majority of Republicans in the House of Representatives.
Santos currently is scheduled to go on trial next September. Prosecutors on Monday renewed a request to begin the trial in May or June.
Samuel Miele, a former campaign fundraiser for Santos, last month pleaded guilty in Long Island federal court to wire fraud related to impersonating a top aide to ex-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy while soliciting donations for Santos.
In October, Santos’ former campaign treasurer, Nancy Marks, pleaded guilty in the same court to multiple campaign finance felonies related to her work for him.
