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

Disgraced former Rep. George Santos appeared in federal court on Tuesday for a status conference ahead of a possible trial 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.