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George Santos reaches plea deal, pleads guilty to wire fraud and identity theft
CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. — George Santos, who was expelled from Congress as he faced nearly two dozen criminal charges, reached a plea deal Monday with federal prosecutors in New York on two federal counts.
Santos pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
A judge has said the plea deal may come with an estimated sentencing range between 6-8 years. He’s set for sentencing Feb. 7.
Santos spoke in court, acknowledging a series of crimes, CBS News’ Scott MacFarlane reported. He admitted fraudulently using credit cards of at least one other person for his personal benefit, as well as making false statements to the Federal Election Commission.
He also admitted to committing wire fraud between Sept-Oct of 2022.
Under the agreement, Santos will have to repay at least $373,000.
Over the weekend, sources confirmed to CBS News that Santos would enter a guilty plea. By phone, the ex-Republican congressman told CBS News New York’s Marcia Kramer that he would be in court, but he could not discuss a possible plea deal at the time.
Stint in Congress defined by scandal
Santos’ 11-month stint in Congress was defined by scandal after he brazenly embellished his biography to win his seat in the 2022 midterm elections.
His life story continued to unravel when the Justice Department indicted him in May 2023 and again in October. Among the 23 felony charges, Santos is alleged to have defrauded campaign donors and then used the money to pay for personal expenses like designer clothing, stole his donors’ identities and made thousands of dollars in unauthorized charges on their credit cards, received unemployment benefits while he was employed, lied to Congress about his financial circumstances and falsified campaign finance reports.
Report found “substantial evidence” Santos broke the law
His House colleagues tried to expel him twice last year before a damning Ethics Committee report detailing his alleged conduct opened the floodgates for lawmakers to support expelling him.
The report found Santos fabricated his biography while running for office and funneled campaign funds to pay for Botox injections, OnlyFans subscriptions, Hermès and Ferragamo purchases and other personal expenses.
There was “substantial evidence” that Santos repeatedly broke the law, the report said.
Attempted comeback bid
Santos, who had maintained his innocence until now, didn’t retreat from the spotlight after his historic fall in the House. He sought to remain in the public eye by attacking his former colleagues on social media, charging hundreds of dollars for videos on Cameo, an app where users pay celebrities for personalized messages, and attending President Biden’s State of the Union address in March. He also announced he was leaving the Republican Party and launching a congressional comeback bid as an independent, before quickly ending his campaign.
Santos told CBS New York in December that he had a “long road of redemption” ahead of him.
When asked whether he was afraid of going to jail, he said: “I think everybody should be afraid of going to jail. It’s not a pretty place. I definitely want to work very hard to avoid that as best as possible.”
Santos noted in that interview that a plea deal was “not off the table.” Prosecutors said in a Dec. 11 court filing that they were in plea negotiations with Santos “with the goal of resolving this matter without the need for a trial.”
A trial was set for September if plea negotiations did not pan out.
contributed to this report.
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Yellowstone hiker burned when she falls into scalding water near Old Faithful, park officials say
Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. — A New Hampshire woman suffered severe burns on her leg after hiking off-trail in Yellowstone National Park and falling into scalding water in a thermal area near the Old Faithful geyser, park officials said.
The 60-year-old woman from Windsor, New Hampshire, along with her husband and their leashed dog were walking off a designated trail near the Mallard Lake Trailhead on Monday afternoon when she broke through a thin crust over the water and suffered second- and third-degree burns to her lower leg, park officials said. Her husband and the dog weren’t injured.
The woman was flown to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho for treatment.
Park visitors are reminded to stay on boardwalks and trails in hydrothermal areas and exercise extreme caution. The ground in those areas is fragile and thin and there’s scalding water just below the surface, park officials said.
Pets are allowed in limited, developed areas of Yellowstone park but are prohibited on boardwalks, hiking trails, in the backcountry and in thermal areas.
The incident is under investigation. The woman’s name wasn’t made public.
This is the first known thermal injury in Yellowstone in 2024, park officials said in a statement. The park had recorded 3.5 million visitors through August this year.
Hot springs have injured and killed more people in Yellowstone National Park than any other natural feature, the National Park Service said. At least 22 people have died from hot spring-related injuries in and around the 3,471-square-mile national park since 1890, park officials have said.