U.S. District Joanna Seybert turned down Santos' request to dismiss charges of aggravated identity theft and theft of public money — in all, three of the 23 charges against the New York Republican.
Prosecutors and Santos' lawyers declined to comment.
Santos' lawyers argued in court filings that the aggravated identity theft charges were invalid because, in the defense's view, the allegations amounted only to overcharging credit card accounts that had been willingly provided to him.
Prosecutors disputed that argument. They said in filings that Santos hadn't just "used" the credit card information but "abused it, with specific intent to defraud" in order to make his campaign coffers look fuller.
The theft of public funds charge relates to the alleged unemployment fraud.
Santos' lawyers said the charge improperly combined multiple alleged criminal schemes and transactions. Courts have said in other cases that such combination isn't allowed for various reasons, including the possibility that jurors could convict on the charge while believing a defendant guilty of only part of it.
Prosecutors in Santos' case said the theft of public funds charge against him alleges "a single continuing scheme."
The former Congress member is slated to go on trial in September in Central Islip, on New York's Long Island.
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