{"id":2323647,"date":"2024-08-13T09:23:02","date_gmt":"2024-08-13T13:23:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/george-santos-fraud-case-heads-to-court-again-after-pretrial-setbacks-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-08-13T09:26:13","modified_gmt":"2024-08-13T13:26:13","slug":"george-santos-fraud-case-heads-to-court-again-after-pretrial-setbacks-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/george-santos-fraud-case-heads-to-court-again-after-pretrial-setbacks-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"George Santos fraud case heads to court again after pretrial setbacks &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fgeorge-santos-fraud-case-heads-to-court-again-after-pretrial-setbacks-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2323647&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Former Republican Congressman George Santos is facing a significant fraud case as\u200c it heads towards trial following several \u200bpretrial setbacks. Accused of multiple financial crimes\u2014including\u200d lying about his wealth to Congress, identity theft, and misusing campaign funds\u2014Santos pleaded not guilty to 23 charges, which were expanded in October 2023. The case marks a rare instance where a member of\u200d Congress is tried on\u2064 criminal charges,\u2062 with \u2064<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/alec-baldwins-case-on-track-for-trial-in-july-as-judge-denies-request-to-dismiss-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Alec Baldwin\u2019s case on track for trial in July as judge denies request to dismiss - Washington Examiner\">jury selection scheduled<\/a> to begin on September\u2063 9. \u200d <\/p>\n<p>Santos&#8217;s defense team has requested an \u200danonymous jury due\u200c to the extensive media\u200c coverage and concerns \u2062for juror safety and impartiality, while prosecutors aim to \u200bintroduce evidence related to Santos&#8217;s misrepresentations, \u2062which \u2063they argue are essential to \u2063establishing his\u200d state of mind. Recent motions to dismiss\u200c some charges, including \u2062aggravated identity \u2062theft, have been denied, and Santos has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/controversial-democratic-kansas-state-legislator-arrested-for-second-time-in-a-month\/\" title=\"Controversial Democratic Kansas State Legislator Arrested For Second Time In A Month\">faced significant scrutiny<\/a> and a lack of support \u2064from \u200chis former party. The case continues to draw public attention as it\u200c progresses toward trial.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">George Santos fraud case heads to court again after pretrial setbacks<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1729124\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Former <a href=\"https:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/new-york\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"New York\">New York<\/a> Republican Rep. <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/george-santos\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>George Santos<\/a>&lsquo;s fraud case is inching toward its start with a pretrial court conference on Tuesday, moving closer to a rare moment in history when a member of <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/congress\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Congress<\/a> faces a jury of his peers on criminal charges.<\/p>\n<p>Santos is accused of several financial crimes, including lying to Congress about his wealth, identity theft, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/shades-of-jimmy-carter-gas-lines-inflation-rising-unemployment-return-under-biden\/\" title=\"Shades Of Jimmy Carter: Gas Lines, Inflation, Rising Unemployment Return Under Biden\">collecting unemployment benefits<\/a> while holding a job, theft of public money, and using campaign contributions to pay for personal expenses such as Botox and designer clothing.<\/p>\n<p>He <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2453284\/george-santos-pleads-not-guilty-to-fundraising-and-credit-card-fraud-at-new-york-arraignment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>pleaded not guilty<\/a> to his wide range of charges in October last year after U.S. Attorney Breon Peace added 17 new charges to the original six on Oct. 10, 2023.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Selected jury could be anonymous after new request<\/h2>\n<p>Jury selection begins on Sept. 9, with Santos <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/george-santos-fraud-case-charges-8f869a6afbd97be3bed20db0be523809\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>requesting a partially anonymous jury<\/a> and prosecutors seeking to admit pieces of evidence related to the former congressman&rsquo;s other campaign controversies.<\/p>\n<p>Santos&rsquo;s lawyers filed the anonymous request on Aug. 6, asking that jurors&rsquo; identities only be known to the judge, the plaintiff and defendant, and their attorneys due to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/manhattan-das-office-now-coming-after-melania-trump-in-hush-money-case\/\" title=\"Manhattan DA targets Melania Trump in hush-money case.\">media attention surrounding<\/a> the case. In a court filing, Santos&rsquo;s counsel said the publicity poses &ldquo;significant risks&rdquo; to &ldquo;juror safety, privacy, and impartiality.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The extensive and largely negative media coverage, combined with the political nature of the case, creates a substantial risk that jurors could face harassment or intimidation if their identities are known, potentially compromising the fairness of the trial,&rdquo; the lawyers wrote. &ldquo;Additionally, the mere risk of public ridicule could influence the individual jurors&rsquo; ability to decide Santos&rsquo; case solely on the facts and law as presented in Court.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>On the other side, ahead of the Sept. 9 date, prosecutors are asking the judge to be allowed to submit evidence such as false claims that Santos graduated from both New York University and Baruch College or that he operated a family firm with nearly $80 million in assets. <\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors argued in a 71-page court filing in early August that Santos&rsquo;s fabrications about his background are &ldquo;inextricably intertwined&rdquo; with his criminal charges and would help &ldquo;establish the defendant&rsquo;s state of mind&rdquo; at the time. They also are hoping to prevent Santos from arguing at trial that he faces a &ldquo;vindictive or selective prosecution,&rdquo; deriving from Santos&rsquo;s numerous public statements that the charges against him are the result of a &ldquo;witch hunt.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Rough start for Santos after declined motion to dismiss <\/h2>\n<p>Santos recently faced a setback after a judge <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3092319\/judge-denies-george-santoss-request-to-strike-identity-theft-charges\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>declined his motion to dismiss<\/a> three charges of aggravated identity theft and theft of public money. The charges relate to accusations that Santos used donor credit card information to make donations not authorized by the owner. Prosecutors allege he tried to hide the money to evade campaign contribution limits as well.<\/p>\n<p>The former congressman is facing little sympathy from his former party. Santos was ousted from Congress last year after an Ethics Committee report stated it found &ldquo;substantial evidence&rdquo; that he knowingly filed false or incomplete reports to the Federal Election Commission, used campaign funds for personal purposes, and &ldquo;engaged in knowing and willful violations&rdquo; in relation to the Ethics in Government Act.<\/p>\n<p>An effort by Democrats to oust Santos failed in May last year, but a GOP-backed effort from New York Republicans successfully removed Santos from his seat, making him <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2432380\/george-santos-expelled-from-house-of-representatives\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>the sixth member<\/a> to be expelled from Congress.<\/p>\n<p>In March, Santos announced he was leaving the Republican Party after the &ldquo;embarrassing&rdquo; $1.2 trillion spending deal. He was running as a Republican in New York&rsquo;s 1st Congressional District, held by Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY), but instead decided to run as an independent. Santos quickly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2976714\/george-santos-withdraws-independent-bid-for-new-york-house-seat-goodbye-for-now\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>withdrew that independent bid<\/a> a month later.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>At the time, a New York Republican told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>, &ldquo;That&rsquo;s short for: I&rsquo;m taking a plea,&rdquo; reacting to the news Santos suspended his campaign. Santos has not taken any plea deal at this time.<\/p>\n<p>Both sides are due in court in Central Islip on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1729124\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1729124\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>George Santos&#8217;s fraud case is progressing toward trial following pretrial challenges, with a court conference scheduled for Tuesday. This situation marks a significant historical moment as it involves a member of Congress facing criminal charges before a jury. Santos is charged with multiple financial crimes, including misleading Congress about his wealth, identity theft, fraudulently collecting unemployment benefits while employed, misappropriating public funds, and using campaign donations for personal expenses like Botox and designer clothes. He pleaded not guilty to the extensive charges in October 2022 after U.S. Attorney Breon Peace added 17 new counts to the initial six on October 10, 2023.<\/p>\n<p>Jury selection is set to begin on September 9, with Santos requesting that the jury be partially anonymous due to media scrutiny surrounding the case. His legal team filed this request on August 6, arguing that public attention poses &#8220;significant risks&#8221; to jurors&#8217; safety and impartiality. They expressed concerns that negative media coverage could lead to harassment or intimidation of jurors if their identities were disclosed.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, prosecutors are seeking permission from the judge to present evidence related to other controversies involving Santos&#8217;s campaign claims\u2014such as false assertions about his educational background and business dealings\u2014to demonstrate his state of mind regarding the charges against him. They aim to counter any defense argument suggesting he is being subjected to selective prosecution based on his claims of a &#8220;witch hunt.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Santos recently encountered difficulties when a judge rejected his motion to dismiss three counts related to aggravated identity theft and theft of public funds stemming from allegations that he used donor credit card information without authorization for contributions exceeding legal limits.<\/p>\n<p>The former congressman has received little support from fellow Republicans since being expelled from Congress last year after an Ethics Committee report found substantial evidence of misconduct in filing reports with the Federal Election Commission and misusing campaign funds. Although an attempt by Democrats failed in May last year to remove him from office, New York Republicans successfully ousted him later on.<\/p>\n<p>In March, Santos announced he was leaving the Republican Party following dissatisfaction with government spending decisions but briefly attempted an independent run before withdrawing just one month later\u2014a move interpreted by some as indicative of potential plea negotiations; however, no plea deal has been reached yet. Both parties are expected in court in Central Islip on Tuesday<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2648,"featured_media":2323648,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/george-santos.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[37960,35668,37981],"class_list":["post-2323647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-fraud-case","tag-george-santos","tag-pretrial-setbacks"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/george-santos.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2323647","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2648"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2323647"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2323647\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2323648"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2323647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2323647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2323647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}