Anonymous jury to hear George Santos' fraud trial

Aug. 13 (UPI) -- Former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., will have an anonymous jury hear his case and render a verdict when the trial gets underway in a New York federal court in September.

Jury selection in Santos' federal trial is scheduled to start on Sept. 9 with a pool of 850 potential jurors available.

U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert during a pre-trial hearing Tuesday ruled the jurors' names will remain secret and they will not be required to complete questionnaires on their respective opinions regarding Santos as his attorneys had asked.

Only the prosecutors, Santos' defense team and the press will have access to the jurors' names.

Seybert ruled requiring the potential jurors to complete questionnaires would slow down the judicial process.

Instead of filling out questionnaires, Seybert said allowing attorneys and prosecutors to ask questions of each prospective juror allows everyone to ask different questions and probe deeper than a standardized questionnaire would allow.

The House of Representatives on Dec. 1 expelled Santos from Congress after a House Ethics Committee determined he violated federal and state laws.

Santos is accused of 23 counts of wire fraud, identity theft and making false statements to the Federal Elections Commission.

His case is in the U.S. District Court for Eastern New York, where Santos represented parts of Queens and Nassau County.

Santos pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and served about a year in the House of Representatives before his expulsion.

Santos and his attorneys attended the pre-trial hearing Tuesday at the federal courthouse in Central Islip on Long Island.