George Santos reportedly expected to plead guilty. What to know about the 23 felony charges against him.

Disgraced former Republican Congressman George Santos from New York is reportedly planning to plead guilty Monday to the 23 felony charges he's currently facing, avoiding a federal trial that was to begin next month.

The plea, which is expected to take place in Federal District Court in Central Islip, N.Y., could spare Santos from facing trial for a variety of alleged crimes including fraud and money laundering. However, it’s still possible that he could change his mind about pleading guilty before the scheduled hearing.

Here’s a look at how Santos reached this point — and a breakdown of the charges he’s facing:

🤥 False claims about his background

Soon after Santos won his seat in 2022, representing parts of Long Island and Queens, N.Y., the New York Times reported that he had misled voters about his background — including his education, career, real estate properties, charitable contributions and even his supposed ties to tragedies including the Holocaust, the Sept. 11 attacks and the Pulse nightclub shooting.

In December 2022, Santos admitted to lying about his resume, which led Democratic and Republican lawmakers alike to start demanding for his resignation.

The following year, in November 2023, a House Ethics investigation resulted in a number of criminal allegations against the former congressman, which became the basis of the 23 felony charges he now faces. It was then Santos decided not to seek reelection.

👮 The 23 felony charges

Santos’s charges, 23 in total, include various levels of conspiracy, fraud, false statements, falsification of records, identity theft and money laundering.

He was charged with 13 counts in May 2023, then 10 more in October of that year. Santos initially pleaded not guilty to the federal charges, calling the whole thing a "witch hunt." These are the original 13 charges:

Wire fraud (7 counts): Prosecutors allege that Santos, along with an unnamed consultant, solicited thousands of dollars in donations for a fraudulent political fund called RedStone Strategies. Instead of using the funds for political purposes, Santos reportedly kept over $200,000 for himself and spent it on designer clothes, illicit websites and personal expenses.

Money laundering (3 counts): Santos is accused of transferring $50,000 from two different donors into separate personal bank accounts. He then reportedly moved the money between these accounts in a manner that prosecutors consider laundering.

False statements (2 counts): According to the indictment and House Ethics investigators, Santos knowingly provided false information on financial disclosure forms required by the House. In May 2022, he claimed that his only income was $55,000 from one company, but prosecutors assert he failed to report income from another job. In September 2022, he falsely reported earning a $750,000 salary and millions in dividends from his own company. Additionally, he allegedly misrepresented the amounts in his bank accounts and failed to disclose unemployment benefits he unlawfully obtained.

Theft of public funds (1 count): Santos is accused of fraudulently applying for and receiving over $24,000 in COVID-related unemployment benefits, despite being employed at a Florida-based investment firm with a six-figure salary.

And the additional 10 charges he received in October 2023:

Conspiracy to commit offenses against the U.S. (1 count): Santos was charged with conspiring to submit fraudulent campaign reports, artificially inflating the financial status of his campaign to appear wealthier than it actually was.

Wire fraud (2 counts): Santos is accused of falsely reporting contributions from family members who claim to have never made those donations, in an effort to exaggerate his campaign's fundraising totals.

Falsifying records (4 counts): Santos allegedly submitted false reports to the Federal Election Commission between December 2021 and April 2022 as part of his fraudulent activities.

Identity theft (2 counts): Prosecutors claim Santos stole the identities of his donors, using their credit card information to make unauthorized transactions exceeding $1,000.

Access device fraud (1 count): This charge pertains to Santos allegedly using stolen credit card information to make unauthorized purchases.

⚖️ Two campaign staffers plead guilty

In October 2023, two of Santos's campaign staffers pleaded guilty to misconduct related to Santos's campaign — former bookkeeper Nancy Marks, who admitted to doctoring the campaign's financial records, and fundraiser Samuel Miele, who pleaded guilty to wire fraud.

👋 Expulsion from Congress

On Dec. 1, 2023, Santos was ultimately expelled from Congress, following a House vote of 311-114, making him the sixth member in the history of the House to be expelled.

Democrat Tom Suozzi won the special election to fill Santos's vacant seat in February.