George Santos’ former constituents in New York’s 3rd Congressional District sound off on plea deal

WLNY

By Lisa Rozner

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    NEW YORK (WCBS/WLNY) — George Santos’ former constituents in New York’s 3rd Congressional District reacted Monday to the plea deal the disgraced lawmaker agreed to with federal prosecutors.

Santos, who was expelled from the House of Representatives late last year, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, two of the 23 federal fraud counts he faced.

The plea agreement calls for Santos to pay back nearly $400 thousand in restitution, but Jody Kass Finkel, founder of Concerned Citizens of NY-03, said it’s not enough.

“We want a full trial,” Finkel said. “We had no voice in Washington. We deserve a full accounting of what really happened.”

The charges come with a two-year mandatory minimum in jail, but the judge estimated a possible sentencing range between six and eight years.

Santos is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 7, 2025.

Reaction mixed in NY-03

News of the plea agreement traveled fast in the district. Some constituents were irate, while others took a more measured approach.

“I don’t think he should get away with a plea deal, not at all,” Great Neck resident Joan Easton Rosenfeld said.

“It’s fine. Look, 99% of court situations in this country go to plea bargains so that’s what we have,” another constituent said.

Robert Zimmerman, Santos’ former Democratic opponent, said, “There’s a certain appreciation to finally be heard and a sense of justice.”

Zimmerman added he wants to see Congress add staff to the Federal Election Commission, especially for auditing.

“It takes two or three years for an analysis. Long past Election Day when damage is done,” Zimmerman said.

Tiffany Muller of anti-corruption watchdog End Citizens United had filed three complaints with the FEC and is calling for any representatives who received money from Santos to donate it.

“The plea agreement is absolutely essential to getting justice and to re-establishing trust between the Amerian people and the government, but it shouldn’t have taken so long,” Muller said.

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