George Santos fraud hearing postponed so he can 'discuss possible paths forward'

The judge overseeing the fraud case of Rep. George Santos (R-NY) has agreed to delay trial so he can have more time to "discuss possible paths forward." The request had been made by prosecutors earlier in the day, causing speculation that they could be nearing a plea deal.

Federal prosecutors had said they were making progress on a possible resolution that would satisfy both sides.

"The parties have continued to discuss possible paths forward in this matter," prosecutors said in their filing. "The parties wish to have additional time to continue those discussions."

But when contacted by one reporter, Santos said there wasn't a deal being discussed, calling it "wildly inaccurate."

“You’re a real hack of a reporter. Please do not contact me any longer or I will deem your unsolicited communication as harassment," Santos ranted.

The judge's ruling came just a few hours later.

Santos, a 35-year-old Congressman was indicted in May on 13 counts, including fraud, money laundering, stealing public funds, and lying to Congress.

He's also facing an ethics investigation in the House along with a campaign finance investigation. In the latter, the DOJ asked the Federal Elections Commission to pause their investigation while they dealt with their federal case.

The screen capture of the order posted by Adam Klasfeld, managing editor of Law & Crime News, revealed Judge Goanna Seybert ordered that from Sept. 7 to Oct 27, 2023, the parties "shall be excluded from the computation of time within which trial must commence in the above-captioned matter."