George Santos is eyeing a plea deal, according to court records released Monday.
Federal prosecutors wrote in a filing that they were “presently engaged in plea negotiations” with the former congressman in the hopes of resolving his criminal fraud case “without the need for a trial,” which is currently expected to begin in Sept. 2024.
“The parties wish to continue those negotiations over the next thirty days,” they wrote.
Santos is set to appear in federal court in Long Island for a status conference on his case on Tuesday. The new filing, which comes in the form of a letter from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn to Judge Joanna Seybert, asks for another status conference to be scheduled in 30 days’ time.
It marks the first time that prosecutors have acknowledged the existence of plea negotiations in Santos’ case, but the former lawmaker had indicated that he was at least interested in a potential deal over the weekend.
“Look, in the essence of everything going on, a plea is not off the table, obviously, at this point,” he told CBS New York on Sunday. “I’m gonna negotiate the best I can.”
Santos, 35, is facing 23 federal criminal charges related to wire fraud, identity theft, and making false statements. He twice pleaded not guilty to all counts against him. He was expelled from Congress earlier this month in the wake of a devastating House Ethics Committee report that accused him of splurging campaign funds on Botox injections and Sephora products.
Two former campaign workers—Samuel Miele, an ex-fundraiser, and Nancy Marks, Santos former treasurer—pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges related to their work with the then-congressman this fall.
Prosecutors also renewed their request on Monday that Seybert move the trial’s start date up to May or June.
