LONG ISLAND (CN) — Recently expelled Representative George Santos appeared in Long Island federal court Tuesday, where his lawyers and prosecutors said they are engaging in ongoing plea negotiations.
In a proposed schedule filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York on Monday, prosecutors say the parties are in talks “with the goal of resolving this matter without the need for a trial.”
Prosecutors said they hope to continue negotiations for the next 30 days, when the next status conference is set. The parties are scheduled to appear again for a status conference on Jan. 23, 2024.
“We are actively negotiating with them,” Joseph W. Murray, Santos’ attorney, said in court Tuesday. “I’d like to put my efforts toward that resolution.”
Santos pleaded not guilty to charges in May, and did the same for a 23-count superseding indictment in October. He is accused of wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, money laundering and theft of public funds, among other charges.
Jacob Steiner, an attorney for the government, also repeated a request to bump the trial up to May or June. The trial is set to begin on Sept. 9.
But Murray said the trial date shouldn’t be moved because of the “voluminous amount of materials” the government has sent him to review, totaling 1.3 million pages.
U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert, a George H.W. Bush appointee, said it is unlikely an earlier trial date will be available because of the volume of cases on the schedule for next year.
“At this point, it looks like September will be the earliest,” Seybert said in court. “And we no longer have the issue of the defendant having to go to Washington on a regular basis.”
Santos was expelled from Congress earlier this month, after a House Ethics Committee report concluded he “sought to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy for his own personal financial profit.”
The committee found that, among other things, the former representative of New York’s 3rd Congressional District made false statements to the Federal Election Commission and spent campaign funds on Botox, designer clothes and the adult content platform OnlyFans.
While Santos has largely maintained his innocence, his former campaign fundraiser Samuel Miele pleaded guilty to wire fraud in November and his former campaign treasurer Nancy Marks did the same for one felony count of conspiracy to defraud the United States. She also admitted making false statements, obstructing the administration of the Federal Election Commission and committing aggravated identity theft.
Santos declined to answer questions from reporters after Tuesday’s court proceedings.
“I wish you guys would take a break from saying my name,” Santos said before stepping into an elevator.
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