Ex-Rep. George Santos expected to plead guilty to multiple counts in fraud case

Former U.S. Rep. George Santos is expected to plead guilty to multiple counts in his federal fraud case, sources tell Scripps News.

Santos, a Republican from New York, is expected to enter the plea at a court hearing planned for Monday on Long Island, an anonymous source told The Associated Press. The source could not publicly discuss details of the plea.

Messages were left by The Associated Press seeking comment with three lawyers representing Santos.

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The court hearing was scheduled for Monday afternoon after prosecutors and Santos' lawyers jointly requested one on Friday. They also sought and received a delay in certain pre-trial deadlines.

The news comes just weeks before jury selection was set to begin on Sept. 9. Santos has previously pleaded not guilty to a range of financial crimes, including lying to Congress about his wealth, collecting unemployment benefits while actually working and using campaign contributions to pay for personal expenses such as designer clothing.

The New York Republican was expelled from Congress in December after an ethics investigation found "overwhelming evidence" he had broken the law and exploited his public position for his own profit.