The former campaign treasurer to Rep. George Santos of New York will plead guilty Thursday in connection with a criminal case against the Republican congressman, according to a spokesman for prosecutors.
The felony charge or charges against the former treasurer, Nancy Marks, were not disclosed in a filing in U.S. District Court in Central Islip, New York, scheduling her appearance.
That filing said prosecutors will file a so-called information against Marks; such charging documents are routinely used when a defendant has agreed to plead guilty.
Santos was charged in May with a 13-count federal indictment in the same court accusing him of campaign finance fraud, money laundering and other crimes.
The freshman lawmaker has pleaded not guilty and vowed not to resign from Congress.
Marks is scheduled to appear before a judge in the Long Island court at 3 p.m. ET.
A spokesman for U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York declined to say what Marks will plead guilty to.
A lawyer for Marks did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Santos’ attorney declined to comment.
In August, Samuel Miele, a former Santos fundraiser, was charged in the same federal court with impersonating a top aide to former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy while seeking campaign donations.
Miele’s attorneys are in negotiations with federal prosecutors about a possible plea deal.
Santos, who represents a district covering parts of Nassau County and Queens, has faced howls of bipartisan criticism and calls for his resignation even before he was sworn into Congress in January 2021.
Shortly after winning his election, which flipped his district from Democratic control, Santos was accused of lying about his business history and education.
Santos later admitted fabricating those details, though he denied other wrongdoing.
The embattled congressman has since been caught up in a series of other scandals — including being accused of scamming a veteran out of funds raised to help his ailing dog — while questions about his campaign finances continued to mount.
Republican politicians in Long Island have repeatedly called on Santos to step down.
Democrats are targeting his congressional district as they seek to regain majority control of the House in 2024.
This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.
Read the full article here