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George Santos set for federal fraud trial appearance on Monday. Here’s the latest on a possible plea deal.
NEW YORK — Disgraced former Congressman George Santos is expected to plead guilty Monday in federal court on Long Island to some of the 23 counts against him in his fraud case.
The counts include wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds, making false statements to the Federal Election Commission and identity theft.
“Certainly, it’s not in the public’s benefit to go through that whole charade,” former Long Island Republican Rep. Peter King said. “To me, the sooner he’s gone, the better.”
Penalty in plea deal likely to be less severe, attorney says
Following his election in 2022, Santos was accused of a litany of lies including graduating from Baruch College and New York University, being a descendant of Holocaust survivors and working at Goldman Sachs.
The night before Congress voted to expel him last December, CBS News New York asked “Why are you still in office?” and Santos replied, “These are allegations that I am not at this time prepared or able to have those discussions.”
Over the weekend by phone, Santos told CBS News New York’s Marcia Kramer he’ll be in court Monday but when she asked if he’s taking a plea deal, he said he couldn’t talk about it.
David Schwartz is a New York-based criminal defense attorney.
“One thing for certain, he will be getting a lot less of a harsh sentence by pleading guilty right now, by accepting responsibility and being remorseful, than he would have if he went to trial,” Schwartz said.
If convicted on all counts, according to sentencing guidelines, Santos would have faced up to 20 years behind bars. However, the judge does not have to rely on that guidance. In fact, he doesn’t even need to accept the plea deal, although CBS News New York was told by legal experts that is rare.
Concerns Citizens of NY-03 concerned about plea deal
Jodi Kass Finkel led the group Concerned Citizens of NY-03 to Washington to oust Santos from his seat. The group’s name refers to the congressional district Santos represented — the third.
“He shouldn’t get a plea deal,” Finkel said.
On Sunday, Finkel’s group wrote prosecutors saying it “demands a full trial to reveal the extent of Mr. Santos’s crimes against N.Y.-03. Indeed, the public deserves to know how a travesty of this magnitude could have happened at the highest level of government.”
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Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa leaves field with concussion after collision with Bills’ Damar Hamlin
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was ruled out of Thursday night’s game with the Buffalo Bills because of a concussion after colliding with defensive back Damar Hamlin and hitting the back of his head against the turf.
Tagovailoa, who has a history of dealing with head injuries, remained down for about two minutes before getting to his feet and walking to the sideline after the play in the third quarter. He made his way to the tunnel not long afterward, looking into the stands, appeared to smile and departed for the locker room.
Lynne Sladky / AP
The Dolphins needed almost no time before announcing it was a concussion.
Tagovailoa, who sustained multiple concussions his first three NFL seasons, positioned himself for a big pay bump with an injury-free and productive 2023. He threw for 29 touchdowns and a league-best 4,624 yards.
He signed a four-year, $212 million extension before this season and was the NFL’s leading passer in Week 1 this season. Tagovailoa left the game with the Dolphins trailing 31-10, which held as the final score.
Tagovailoa was hurt on a fourth-down keeper with about 4:30 left in the third. He went straight ahead into Hamlin and did not slide, leading with his right shoulder instead.
He wound up on his back, both his hands in the air and Bills players immediately pointed at Tagovailoa as if to suggest there was an injury. Dolphins center Aaron Brewer quickly did the same, waving to the sideline.
Tagovailoa eventually got to his feet. Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel grabbed the side of his quarterback’s head and gave him a kiss on the cheek as Tagovailoa departed. Skylar Thompson came into the game to take Tagovailoa’s spot.
Hamlin was the player who suffered a cardiac arrest after making a tackle during a Monday night game in January 2023 at Cincinnati, causing the NFL to suspend a pivotal game that quickly lost significance in the aftermath of a scary scene that unfolded in front of a national television audience.
Tagovailoa’s history with concussions — and how he has since worked to avoid them — is a huge part of the story of his career, and now comes to the forefront once again.
He had at least two concussions during the 2022 season. He was hurt in a Week 3 game against Buffalo and cleared concussion protocol, though he appeared disoriented on that play but returned to the game.
The NFL later changed its concussion protocol to mandate that if a player shows possible concussion symptoms — including a lack of balance or stability — he must sit out the rest of the game.
Less than a week later, in a Thursday night game at Cincinnati, Tagovailoa was concussed on a scary hit that briefly knocked him unconscious and led to him being taken off the field on a stretcher.
His second known concussion of that season came in a December game against Green Bay, and he didn’t play for the rest of the 2022 season.
Going into last season, Tagovailoa added muscle and spent time studying jiu-jitsu in an effort to learn how to fall more safely and try to protect himself against further injury.
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