When George Anthony Devolder Santos told Long Island Federal Judge Joanna Seybert yesterday that he was pleading guilty to two (wire fraud and aggravated identity theft) of the 23 criminal charges that the expelled con(gress)man was charged with, we wonder if the judge believed this stupendous liar.
Either way, Seybert accepted his plea agreement that his lawyers worked out with prosecutors under Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Breon Peace. So 21 counts go away, including crimes such filing fraudulent reports to the Federal Election Commission, embezzling from campaign donors, making credit card charges on victims, stealing unemployment benefits through fraud, and lying in reports submitted to the House of Representatives. Santos admitted to all of it, although he’ll only face punishment for the two crimes for which he entered guilty pleas.
It wasn’t this long list of felonies that did in Santos; it was his non-criminal whoppers about his schooling (he was a high school dropout who was never admitted to college, let alone earning multiple degrees), his career (he never worked a minute at the claimed Wall Street banking jobs) and his personal life (he has zero connections to the tragedy of 9/11 and he is not a Jew in any sense, although his crack about being “Jew-ish” is clever).
He should have resigned from his ill-gotten Nassau/Queens House seat when he was first exposed in the press (which shamefully didn’t do so before the 2022 election) or when he was first charged in May 2023. Instead his fellow Republicans in Congress could not tolerate his presence and expelled him, which was a first, for he was innocent at the time and the Ethics Committee had not issued a finding of guilt, making for a very bad precedent.
But Santos finally did right in confessing yesterday and he faces at least two years in prison (the same as a House term) and he must pay restitution of $373,749.97 and forfeit $205,002.97.
Another local bad guy who also finally did right was Sen. Bob (Gold Bullion) Menendez, who today gives up the title of senator from New Jersey. This Democratic crook had the grace to resign and avoid expulsion from his disgusted colleagues who were ready to do so after his guilty verdict in Manhattan federal court five weeks ago today on all 16 counts.
Another George, George Helmy, will become senator on Sept. 9 when the Senate reconvenes. Playing it very fair, Gov. Phil Murphy is appointing his former top aide only until there is a winner certified between Democratic Congressman Andy Kim and Republican Curtis Bashaw. At that point, Murphy will appoint Kim or Bashaw to the Senate, giving him a little bit extra seniority.
Menendez is playing along, having ended his independent bid for reelection on Friday. As a private citizen starting today, his next big day is his Oct. 29 sentencing. And who knows if his former Senate neighbor on the other side of the Delaware Memorial Bridge, Joe Biden, may give him a break on his prison time.
As for Santos, he’s back before Seybert for sentencing on Feb. 7, when there will be a new president and a new Congress, hopefully one without such low characters as Menendez and Santos.