A former fundraiser for US Representative George Santos will plead guilty to federal criminal charges, increasing pressure on the New York congressman as he faces his own corruption charges and efforts to expel him from Congress.

Samuel Miele, 27, said he was prepared to plead guilty, US District Judge Joanna Seybert said Tuesday at the start of a court hearing. He would be the second campaign aide to admit criminal wrongdoing in the mushrooming case against Santos, the 35-year-old Republican from Long Island who gained notoriety for falsifying large parts of his resume during his 2022 campaign.