George Santos to reportedly plead guilty Monday to fraud charges

Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Former Rep. George Santos , R-N.Y., is expected to plead guilty Monday to federal fraud charges, multiple media outlets reported citing sources close to the case.

CNN and the New York Times reported Santos would enter a guilty plea.

Santos and his legal team have not commented on the reports.

The 36-year-old's trial over 23 federal fraud charges was scheduled to get underway in the U.S. District Court for Eastern New York in September in front of an anonymous jury.

Santos publicly denied any wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty in October to charges of wire fraud, identity theft and making false statements to the Federal Elections Commission.

He was expelled from the U.S. House in December after a House Ethics Committee determined he violated federal and state laws.

Santos served as the representative for parts of Queens and Nassau County for around a year before he was expelled.

A month before Santos' expulsion, his former aide Sam Miele pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud while admitting he impersonated an aide to former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy .

Miele admitted to the fundraising scheme in the fall of 2021 that involved impersonating an unidentified aide to solicit funds for Santos.

Santos briefly attempted a political comeback earlier this year, announcing in March he would seek a different seat in New York's 1st Congressional District.

He dropped the bid a month later.