Central Islip, New York - Former congressman George Santos has been trying to get the judge overseeing his criminal trial to toss some of the charges, but federal prosecutors are stepping in to block his effort.

Last year, Santos was indicted on 23 felony charges, including fraud and theft, and accusations that he stole the identity of campaign donors to use their credit cards to buy designer clothes and Botox.

According to AP News, Santos' legal team submitted a filing last month requesting that the aggravated identity theft charges be dropped, arguing that he has been accused of overcharging stolen credit cards, not stealing the owners' information.

"All of the credit cards were voluntarily sent to Santos' campaign and his campaign was authorized to charge the cards for a specified amount," Santos' attorneys wrote.

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But Prosecutors clapped back in response with a filing on Friday, calling the defense's argument "meritless."

Prosecutors argued that he "abused" the use of the cards in an effort "to increase the amount of money he had appeared to raise as a candidate for the House" and "deceitfully" misused the card owner's identities "with specific intent to mask, conceal, and prolong his unlawful activities."

Santos, who has pleaded not guilty to all charges, is scheduled to return to court in August, with the trial set to begin on September 9.