'Right thing to do': George Santos addresses pleading guilty to federal charges

Former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., on Monday pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, telling reporters outside the courthouse the guilty plea was the "right thing to do."

"This plea is not just an admission of guilt," Santos told the media. "It's an acknowledgment that I need to be held accountable like any other American that breaks the law."

In court, Santos, wearing gray slacks and a black sports coat, told the judge he was "committed to making amends and learning from this experience."

He is due to be sentenced on Feb. 7.

Santos pleaded guilty to claiming relatives had made contributions to his campaign when, in fact, they had not. Santos conceded he was trying to meet the fundraising threshold to qualify for financial help from the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Santos also stipulated that he committed other fraud, including charging donor credit cards without authorization and convincing donors to give money by falsely stating the money would be used for TV ads. He also stipulated he stole public money by applying for and receiving unemployment benefits during the pandemic to which he was not entitled.

Santos conceded in a statement to the court his actions "betrayed" his constituents and others.

In addition to potential prison time, Santos must pay restitution of nearly $374,000 and forfeiture of more than $200,000.

Santos faces a sentence of 75-87 months, including a mandatory minimum two-year sentence for aggravated identity theft.

Fighting back tears outside the courthouse after his plea, Santos said he was "flooded with deep regret" for his conduct. He vowed to accept responsibility for his actions while apologizing to his former constituents for allowing "ambition to cloud [his] judgment."

"It is clear to me now that I allowed ambition to cloud my judgment, leading me to make decisions that were unethical," Santos said. "Pleading guilty is a step I never imagined I would take, but it is a necessary one, because it is the right thing to do."

Santos acknowledged he failed his constituents and said he hoped to be a part of "restoring the integrity" he diminished through his lies.

"It has been the proudest achievement of my life to represent you, and I believe I did so to the best of my abilities, but you also trusted me to represent you with honor and to uphold the values that are essential to our democracy, and in that regard, I failed you," Santos said.

While Santos vowed to accept full responsibility for his conduct, his lawyers flagged in the final moments of his plea hearing this afternoon that the former congressman may not be able to pay over $200,000 in restitution.

Santos is required to pay the restitution 30 days before his sentencing on Feb. 7 and could face additional sanctions if he fails to pay in time.

"At this time, he does not have the money," defense attorney Andrew Mancilla told federal judge Joanna Seybert.

Defense attorney Joseph Murray insisted that Santos would make his "best effort" to make the money over the next five months.

"We will see how it goes, but I see substantial problems if he can't comply," Seybert said before accepting Santos' plea. "That sounds like we just have to hope."

Santos, 36, was charged in May 2023 with 13 counts of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making materially false statements to the House of Representatives following months of news reports about lies the Republican congressman told in his past.

In October 2023, the then-congressman faced 10 more charges in the Eastern District of New York, including wire fraud, making materially false statements to the Federal Election Commission and aggravated identity theft.

He had previously pleaded not guilty to the charges and his trial had been scheduled to start in September.

In July, a judge denied Santos' motion to dismiss certain fraud charges, ruling he failed to meet the legal standards.

Two of Santos' associates, his former campaign finance chief Nancy Marks and fundraiser Sam Miele, have already pleaded guilty to charges.

Santos survived an expulsion vote on Nov. 1, 2023, in the wake of the superseding indictment.

His support among Republicans wavered after the release of a damning report from the House Ethics Committee two weeks after surviving the expulsion vote.

"George Santos cannot be trusted," declared the 56-page report. "At nearly every opportunity, he placed his desire for private gain above his duty to uphold the Constitution, federal law, and ethical principles."

Santos allegedly reported fictitious loans to get wealthy donors to make contributions, according to the ethics report, used his connections to obtain yet more donations, including to make "purported 'repayments' of those fictitious loans," and diverted campaign money for his own use.

Santos' expenses ranged from spending $2,280 in Atlantic City, where he allegedly liked to play roulette with his husband; $2,900 spent on Botox; approximately $10,000 spent at high-end Ferragamo and Hermes stores; and about $3,330 at a rental property, according to the report.

Exactly one month after surviving the first expulsion vote, Santos became just the sixth member of Congress to ever be expelled on Dec. 1, 2023.

He had, until that point, represented New York's 3rd Congressional District, which includes parts of Queens and Nassau counties, since January 2020.

Santos ended a long-shot comeback bid to represent New York's 1st Congressional District in April.

Following court this afternoon, United States Attorney Breon Peace described Santos' crimes as a "fraud of unprecedented proportions."

"Today, ... or what may seem like the first time since he started his campaign for Congress, Mr. Santos told the truth about his criminal escapes," Peace said about today's plea.

-ABC News' Leah Sarnoff contributed to this story.