George Santos (R-NY) and his imaginative (but dishonest) résumé

[p0rtia]

[Luke]

Scott MacFarlane @MacFarlaneNews
Plea agreement calls for Santos to make restitution of at least $373,749.97. Santos admitted fraudulently using IDs/credit cards of at least one other person for his personal benefit. Santos admitted making false statements to FEC. He admitted committing wire fraud between sept 2022 and Oct 2022. He admitted giving false info about RedStone strategies, including that money was allegedly being used for TV ads, when the money was instead used for personal. Santos admitted theft… Applying for unemployment benefits to which he was not entitled. And he acknowledged making false statements and omissions on financial statements submitted to House clerk and House ethics Cmte in Sept 2022. Santos did not PLEAD guilty to theft, but the acknowledgment of theft can be considered at sentencing, per judge.

Color from the (overheated) 10th floor courtroom of Judge Joanna Seybert here in Central Islip, NY. Santos spoke especially softly. Answering each of the judge's questions "Yes, your honor".... leaning over to speak directly into the microphone as he sat at defense table. To the judge's right side. He kept glancing back into seating area, where reporters and federal agents filled five rows of wooden benches on each side of center aisle. He laughed once or twice with his attorneys before hearing began. No eyeglasses. Sport coat, but no suit.

ALERT: George Santos will be sentenced February 7. Prosecutor to speak shortly outside courthouse.

[Rolodex]

Wasn't he charged with a bunch more things? Does pleading guilty to a couple of charges get you out of the others - some sort of deal?

[Luke]

Rolodex -- yes, Kitara took a plea deal to avoid the other charges and a multi-week trial. The government still got a TON out of him and the ID theft charge is a 2 year mandatory minimum.

[Flatpoint High]

Rolodex -- yes, Kitara took a plea deal to avoid the other charges and a multi-week trial. The government still got a TON out of him and the ID theft charge is a 2 year mandatory minimum.

he's only sorry he got caught.

[Rolodex]

Thanks, Luke! I'm not a criminal or crime-adjacent, so I don't know the ropes. Even my extensive true crime show/podcast addiction hasn't educated me on this!

I guess it has a lot to do with court scheduling, but February seems a long way off for sentencing. In the Alex Murdaugh case (the South Carolina lawyer guilty of killing his wife and son), the judge sentenced him right at the end of the trial...like the day after the verdict.

I hope he doesn't disappear into South America, but maybe they're holding his passport. Unless he has a secret one in another name.

[Frater I*I]

I guess it has a lot to do with court scheduling, but February seems a long way off for sentencing. In the Alex Murdaugh case (the South Carolina lawyer guilty of killing his wife and son), the judge sentenced him right at the end of the trial...like the day after the verdict.

Federal courts require a Presentencing Report to be compiled to list any mitigating or aggrieving factors...

[Estiveo]

I guess it has a lot to do with court scheduling, but February seems a long way off for sentencing. In the Alex Murdaugh case (the South Carolina lawyer guilty of killing his wife and son), the judge sentenced him right at the end of the trial...like the day after the verdict.

Federal courts require a Presentencing Report to be compiled to list any mitigating or aggrieving factors...

I'm gonna go out on a limb and suggest that Kitara needing a new feather boa won't be considered mitigation.

[Frater I*I]

I guess it has a lot to do with court scheduling, but February seems a long way off for sentencing. In the Alex Murdaugh case (the South Carolina lawyer guilty of killing his wife and son), the judge sentenced him right at the end of the trial...like the day after the verdict.

Federal courts require a Presentencing Report to be compiled to list any mitigating or aggrieving factors...

I'm gonna go out on a limb and suggest that Kitara needing a new feather boa won't be considered mitigation.

Since this is a financial crime the amount of money stolen will add to the amount of time spent on the chain gang....

[Frater I*I]

An example of a federal PSI report for those who are interested, this is about one of our SovCit nuts Michael Parsons

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/4q22j3md ... td3go&dl=0

[bill_g]

So, Kitara has a full quarter to sort his stuff, tell the public something entirely different, and take one more whack at the donation pinata before he has to surrender. Wonderful. Maybe he'll fall from the ferry and never be found until he turns up in South America someplace a decade from now.

[bob]

Federal courts require a Presentencing Report to be compiled to list any mitigating or aggrieving factors...

Yes; federal sentencing is much more complex than many states' sentencing. There's a rather detailed formula used when writing the report. And both sides will need the opportunity to respond to the report to argue the asserted calculation errors it made.

Too also: Murder sentencing (in state courts) often is easier because the range of possible sentences is so limited.

[Rolodex]

Fogbow School of Law™ comes through again! Thanks, y'all!

[Luke]

P0rtia should keep reminding Elise's voters...

Elise Santos.JPG (103.3 KiB) Viewed 1615 times

[northland10]

Wasn't he charged with a bunch more things? Does pleading guilty to a couple of charges get you out of the others - some sort of deal?

I assume they take pleas to avoid the time and expense of a trial even if there is no deal to sing. I assume prosecutors consider which charges they would be willing to drop in order to get a conviction without having to go to trial. They may be willing to let go of some bigger stuff that would be harder to get a jury to convict and the carrot is, if you don't please, we will bury you with a bunch of charges.

I have missed any explanation for: why did he go for it now? I would have thought the deal was already hanging out there. Is he suddenly worried that Trump might not win, and so a possible pardon may not be in the cards? He may be hedging his bets.

[Luke]

The trial was going to start next week. Gov't made it clear in the multi-week trial that they were going to dig into all of Kitara's fabulism like education, resume, etc.

[W. Kevin Vicklund]

Also, by delaying accepting the offer, he was able to engage in pre-trial litigation to attempt to get the case dismissed, or at least certain charges. Once that failed and trial was imminent, he caved.

[johnpcapitalist]

Also, by delaying accepting the offer, he was able to engage in pre-trial litigation to attempt to get the case dismissed, or at least certain charges. Once that failed and trial was imminent, he caved.

Too, also, he was able to engage in motion practice to get the charges dismissed while raising money about how he was going to fight to the end and be vindicated, but then the donations dried up and he was looking at having to spend his own money to defend himself at trial.

[Luke]

Kitara's signed plea deal:

[neonzx]

George Santos' campaign fund has $562 in cash, nearly $800,000 in debt, records show

https://www.newsday.com/news/region-sta ... c-lap8599u

ALBANY — Former Rep. George Santos’ congressional campaign has $562 in cash on hand, but also has $786,932 in debt, federal records show.

The debt includes $156,932 owed to Republican workers and campaign companies and $630,000 in loans he said he made to the campaign. In announcing a federal indictment in October against Santos, U.S. Attorney Breon Peace called the loans "nonexistent" and fabricated.

Santos, who represented parts of Nassau County and Queens for 11 months, pleaded guilty Aug. 19 in federal court to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. He faces a minimum of 2 years in federal prison under the identity theft charge and as much as 20 years in prison for wire fraud. The court says he owes donors $373,749 in restitution.

Santos, 36, rode a red wave on Long Island in 2022 to win an open seat in the 3rd Congressional District. His descent began shortly thereafter when The New York Times reported that Santos fabricated parts of his biography and professional history. On Dec. 1, the House of Representatives expelled him after finding he used campaign funds to pay for personal expenses.