Disgraced former congressman George Santos faces prison time after pleading guilty to fraud crimes

Disgraced former congressman George Santos haspleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft and wire fraud charges.

Santos, 36, entered the guilty plea on Monday afternoon in court in Central Islip, New York. The plea deal comes with an estimated six to eight year prison sentence, CBS News reports. He will also have to repay more than $300,000 to his victims, prosecutors said. Santos will be sentenced on February 7.

The ex-lawmaker spoke in court, CBS News reports, admitting to wire fraud, stealing credit card information for personal use and lying to the Federal Election Commission. Santos spoke too quickly and the judge had to ask him to slow down, according to CBS News.

“My actions have betrayed the trust of my supporters and constituents,” Santos told the court.

The hearing was added to the court’s schedule just days ago, on Friday evening. Reports emerged over the weekend that the now-expelled representative planned to plead guilty to avoid trial.

“Our democracy depends upon a fair and transparent election process, and as part of that process, it is imperative that candidates for elective elected office follow the law and that they act with integrity and transparency,” Nicole Argentieri, principal deputy assistant attorney general, said on Monday afternoon. “George Santos did none of those things.”

Scott D’Alessandro, assistant special agent-in-charge of the local office of IRS Criminal Investigation, said Santos’ crimes are “not victimless.”

”The ultimate victim is the erosion of trust that a crime like this causes the American people’s confidence in our country’s campaign finance systems,” D’Alessandro said.

The New York representative was expelled from Congress on December 1 last year becoming the first