Republican Representative George Santos is "trapped," and could plead guilty to criminal charges to reduce a future jail sentence, said a former U.S. attorney.
Federal prosecutors have filed charges against the New York congressman, who is expected to appear in court as early as Wednesday, several outlets reported on Tuesday. The exact nature of the charges has yet not been made public, but they were filed in the Eastern District of New York and are under seal.
The New York Republican, who was elected in the fall of 2022, quickly faced questions over claims made about his personal and employment history after winning his congressional race. He has faced investigations, led by the FBI and the U.S. attorney's office, over allegations of false statements throughout his election campaign filings, which he denies.
The House Ethics Committee has been looking into alleged misconduct by the congressman. Santos said that he was "going to comply 100% with them." The non-partisan watchdog, the Campaign Legal Center, also filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission in early January that alleged he "violated federal campaign finance laws."
Writing on Twitter, Harry Litman, also a former deputy assistant attorney general, said that Santos "will maintain his innocence and resolve to fight these outrageous charges, etc."
"Santos will wind up pleading guilty to minimize his jail exposure & fine," said Litman. "He is trapped and likely broke."
Newsweek has reached out to Santos' office via email and the Justice Department for comment.
When contacted by the Associated Press, Santos responded that reports of the charges were "news to me."
"You're the first to call me about this," he said.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told CNN on Tuesday that he will "look at the charges."
Shortly after claiming victory in the November 2022 elections, a New York Times report said that Santos had lied about working on Wall Street.
"My sins here are embellishing my resume. I'm sorry," Santos told The New York Post in December 2022. He has also admitted to lying about his college background, adding: "I didn't graduate from any institution of higher learning."
Santos has denied several other claims against him, including that he was involved in a GoFundMe campaign and pocketed funds meant for a U.S. Navy veteran's dying dog. Santos said in January that "the reports that I would let a dog die is shocking & insane."
He has faced continued calls to resign, including from within his own party, but has resisted demands for him to step down. In mid-April, Santos announced his intention to re-run for his congressional seat in 2024, saying he was "proud to announce my candidacy" for New York's 3rd Congressional District.
In a separate post on Tuesday, Litman wrote that Santos "will be at most a one-term congressman."
"The question is whether he'll be less than that," Litman tweeted.
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