Republican Rep. George Santos, seen on this picture in January, is scheduled to return to courtroom on Friday to face expanded legal costs. His fellow Republicans in New York launched a decision on Thursday to attempt to oust him from Congress.

Andrew Harnick/AP

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Andrew Harnick/AP

Republican Rep. George Santos, seen on this picture in January, is scheduled to return to courtroom on Friday to face expanded legal costs. His fellow Republicans in New York launched a decision on Thursday to attempt to oust him from Congress.

Andrew Harnick/AP

Days after serving to fellow Republicans select a brand new Speaker of the Home, Rep. George Santos will likely be in federal courtroom on Lengthy Island, New York, on Friday.

The scandal-plagued freshman consultant from New York’s third Congressional District faces a second trial on a rising checklist of corruption costs tied to his 2022 marketing campaign. He’s anticipated to plead not responsible.

Santos, who has admitted to mendacity to voters about most features of his life earlier than profitable workplace, has denied any legal wrongdoing and stated he’ll run for re-election subsequent yr.

He was arrested in Could and charged with 13 felonies starting from fraud to embezzlement.

This month, the US Legal professional for the Jap District of New York expanded the indictment to 23 counts.

“Santos is accused of stealing folks’s identities and making costs to donors’ bank cards with out their permission,” US Legal professional Breon Tempo stated in an announcement.

In line with prosecutors, Santos illegally charged $12,000 from the bank card of a marketing campaign contributor, with out that individual’s data or permission, after which transferred “the overwhelming majority of that cash to his private checking account.”

On October 5, Santos’ former treasurer, Nancy Marks, pleaded responsible to federal costs associated to her work on his marketing campaign. It stays unclear whether or not she agreed to help the prosecution as a part of the plea settlement.

Santos’ listening to is scheduled to start at 10:30 a.m. earlier than Choose Joanna Seibert in Central Islip, New York.

“Unqualified to serve in Congress”

Along with his mounting authorized troubles, Santos is going through an ethics investigation within the Home of Representatives, and has been stripped of his committee assignments. On Thursday, a number of of his fellow Republicans in New York launched a decision to expel him from Congress.

“Santos’ quite a few deceptions, coupled with the increasing authorized case in opposition to him, reinforce my agency perception that he’s unfit to serve in Congress,” Rep. Anthony D’Esposito stated in an announcement posted Oct. 11 on social media.

Santos created a largely fictional biography of himself earlier than profitable workplace in 2022. He invented an expert resume and fabricated his academic background. He fabricated Jewish heritage that turned out to be unfaithful, and even claimed to have a university athletic profession that collapsed beneath scrutiny.

The hassle to oust Santos, like the whole lot else within the Home, has been frozen for weeks as a result of GOP’s bitter and protracted battle over the speaker’s gavel.

It is not clear now whether or not divided Republicans will really vote to take away a member from their slim majority.

The transfer would set off a particular election in a district that features neighborhoods on Lengthy Island in Queens, the place Democrats are anticipated to be extremely aggressive.

Some outstanding New York Republican lawmakers, together with Rep. Elise Stefanik, who helped Santos win workplace, have thus far remained silent about his future. For now, the brand new Republican nominee stays a full member of the Republican caucus and aligns himself with the far proper.

In the meantime, in an announcement on social media, Santos promised to wage a “#politicalwar” in opposition to New York Republicans who wish to oust him.

“I wish to remind my expensive colleagues… that I’ll have loads of time to return the favor within the quickest approach humanity has ever seen,” Santos warned.