Attorney states N.Y. has gathered 1.3M pieces of evidence in Santos case
Former Congressman George Santos made an appearance in court on Tuesday morning in Central Islip, New York.
Santos attended a status conference while he was in the process of negotiating a potential plea deal regarding fraud charges.
Santos arrived with a smile on his face, seemingly in good spirits, and shared a few laughs with his attorney.
Santos explained that he had injured his foot, which is why he was sporting a pair of Ferragamo sneakers instead of his usual luxury red loafers.
When he left court, he was unusually quiet and not as talkative as he usually is.
As he was driven away, he chose not to respond to inquiries about the existence of a plea deal. Instead, he calmly sipped his coffee. Furthermore, he refrained from disclosing any updates regarding a possible guilty plea made in court.
Prosecutors admit that they are currently involved in plea negotiations, aiming to resolve the matter without going to trial. However, in the event that an agreement cannot be reached, prosecutors have requested to advance the trial date to the spring.
The judge stated that she is inclined to maintain a September start due to the 1.3 million discovery material documents that the defense needs to review.
Meanwhile, Santos is following the money, raking in a hefty sum on Cameo by raising his fee from $75 to $500 per message. In an interview with CBS New York’s Marcia Kramer on “The Point” after his expulsion, he revealed that he earned more in a week on Cameo than he did throughout his entire tenure in Congress.
George Santos, sharing the inspiration behind the idea, revealed that it originated from a former Kevin McCarthy staffer who acknowledged his captivating personality and popularity among the people.
Santos has been released on a $500,000 unsecured bond.
After the court proceedings, he addressed the reporters, expressing his only sentiment of “Happy Holidays.” He humorously remarked, “I hope you guys can give me a break from constantly mentioning my name.”
The prosecutors informed the judge that they anticipate ongoing plea negotiations and have not yet presented a formal offer.
Santos is currently facing almost twenty charges that are related to various crimes, including wire fraud, identity theft, campaign finance violations, and more. These charges were outlined in two federal indictments that were issued earlier this year.
He got kicked out of Congress on December 1st.
Santos has a scheduled court appearance on January 23.
Read More:
- Opinion: Prepare for Grocery Sticker Shock in 2024 With These 10 Items
- Stabbing incident at DC Central Detention Facility injures multiple inmates
