NEW YORK (AP) — Former U.S. Representative George Santos faced a setback on Friday as a judge rejected his attempt to remove certain charges from his upcoming fraud trial. Santos is accused of various crimes, including defrauding his campaign donors.
U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert turned down Santos’ request to dismiss charges related to aggravated identity theft and theft of public money. These charges are part of the 23 total counts he faces.
Prosecutors and Santos’ lawyers have not commented on the ruling.
Santos is facing multiple allegations, including lying to Congress about his finances, receiving unemployment benefits while working, and using campaign donations for personal expenses like designer clothing.
According to the source, he entered a not-guilty plea to a revised indictment last October.
The aggravated identity theft charges involve claims that Santos used donors’ credit card information to make unauthorized contributions.
Prosecutors allege he tried to hide the true source of these funds by listing them as coming from relatives and associates without their knowledge.
In court, Santos’ defense argued that the charges were invalid because they involved overcharging credit cards that were willingly provided.
Prosecutors countered, saying Santos did more than just use the credit card information—he intentionally abused it to falsely inflate his campaign funds.
The theft of public funds charge relates to allegations of unemployment fraud.
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Santos’ defense claimed this charge improperly grouped multiple criminal actions, which could unfairly influence jurors. Prosecutors argued that the charge outlines a single continuous scheme.
Santos is scheduled to stand trial in September in Central Islip, Long Island. Earlier this year, he withdrew his attempt to run for Congress again in New York’s 1st Congressional District.