George Santos' former campaign treasurer pleads guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States

The former campaign treasurer for New York Rep. George Santos pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States by committing one or more federal offenses.

Nancy Marks, a veteran GOP operative, oversaw the campaign's finances for the Long Island Republican before being dismissed after a series of filing abnormalities led to allegations of wrongdoing against her and the candidate.

The case against Marks has the same court docket number as listed for Santos' case - an indication that the charge against her is directly related to her work for the scandal-tarred House freshman. Her decision to plead guilty - implicating Santos in at least one crime in the process - offers a fresh reminder to voters in the competitive 3rd Congressional District, which could be key to Republicans retaining their narrow House majority next year, of the breadth of Santos' alleged wrongdoing.

Marks' attorney, Raymond Perini, said his client does not have a cooperation agreement with the government "at this time."

"If we get a subpoena, we'll do the right thing," he said.

Addressing the question of why Marks helped Santos, Perini said there was "a manipulation involved that had to do with her family and the death of her husband."

Marks will pay a $100,000 bond for release. She faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison. She is due back in court on April 12.