George Santos appears in federal court as trial looms later this year

Santos is facing 23 charges alleging he stole donors’ identities and ran up thousands of dollars in fraudulent charges on their credit cards, among other offenses. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

“You’re making great progress with regard to getting the case ready for trial,” said US District Judge Joanna Seybert, who mentioned that the schedule still allows them to strike a plea deal if both sides want.

At an appearance in December, lawyers on both sides acknowledged they are in preliminary discussions on a plea deal. Tuesday, the lawyers agreed to a motion schedule that was laid out and discussed working on a potential witness list. They did not discuss or acknowledge active plea talks.

The next court proceeding is scheduled for August 13. A trial is expected in September.

Santos, donning Prada footwear, rode the elevator in the courthouse with reporters, and when probed about the upcoming special election to fill his seat, he said, “I don’t vote for Democrats.”

Asked whether he misses working in Congress, Santos said, “Sure, it was fun,” adding, “of course I do. I worked really hard to get there.”

But Santos declined to say what he’s currently doing for employment. “Nothing I want to report,” he said.

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