Global Courant
The embattled congressman faces charges of fraud and other charges.
Embattled Representative George Santos will appear in court Friday morning in his first trial since he pleaded not guilty last month to a 13-count charge that charged him with fraud, money laundering and theft of public funds.
The New York Republican congressman, who has denied wrongdoing, will appear Friday at noon for a state conference hearing before U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert on Long Island.
Friday’s appearance comes a week after it was revealed that Santos’ father and aunt guaranteed his $500,000 bail, according to court documents unsealed following the congressman’s objection.
Rachel Scott of ABC News was the first to report that Santos’ bond was guaranteed by Gercino dos Santos Jr. and Elma Santos Preven.
Under the terms of the bond, neither was required to provide money for Santos’ release — only to be financially responsible “if the defendant fails to meet the terms” of his release.
Rep. George Santos attends a session of the U.S. House of Representatives at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. Santos, January 4, 2023.
Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images, FILE
Santos claimed he objected to the names being unsealed for fear of harassment.
“I can handle that; I’ve run for public office,” he told reporters. “They didn’t; they are private citizens.”
Santos, who has been accused of misrepresenting large parts of his employment, education and family history, has admitted that he lied about parts of his background while running for Congress.
He also faces an investigation by the House Ethics Committee, which released a rare letter last week saying the committee had issued more than 30 subpoenas and more than 40 voluntary requests for information in their investigation.
The panel also said it had expanded its investigation to investigate allegations of unemployment insurance fraud.
