George Santos, known for his fraudulent path to Congress before being ousted, receives a prison sentence exceeding 7 years
A former New York lawmaker, facing disgrace, entered a guilty plea regarding felony charges involving wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
TroibNews 
CENTRAL ISLIP, New York — On Friday, a federal judge sentenced disgraced former Rep. George Santos to over seven years in prison for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. This sentencing culminates a tumultuous chapter in his political career, leading to his expulsion from Congress following a single term as a Republican.
The 87-month sentence was delivered as Santos broke into tears. It follows a year in Congress where his actions led prosecutors to label him a “pathological liar and fraudster.”
U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert criticized Santos' actions as “flagrant thievery,” calling him “an arrogant fraudster talking out of both sides of his mouth” as she imposed the lengthy sentence.
With a shaky voice, Santos addressed the court, admitting, “I betrayed the confidence entrusted to me by constituents, donors, colleagues and this court.”
He has until July 25 to report to prison. In addition, Seybert mandated that he pay over $373,000 in restitution, due immediately, and serve two years of supervised release after his prison term.
Santos’ political journey captured the attention of Washington and New York after he won a Long Island House seat during a relatively obscure 2022 race, which ultimately led to his rise and subsequent downfall. Although facing charges in May 2023, he initially resisted resignation, bolstered by some support from House Republicans. However, that support waned, and he became the first member since the Civil War to be expelled from the House without a criminal conviction.
In August 2024, Santos pleaded guilty to two felony charges, acknowledging that he accessed his campaign fundraising for personal benefit. He confessed to submitting false reports to the FEC during his congressional campaign and to stealing personal identities and financial details from elderly and cognitively impaired donors, using their credit cards without permission to contribute to his campaign and others.
He also confessed to convincing donors to fund what he claimed was a social welfare organization or super PAC but instead redirected their contributions to luxury accommodations at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, shopping sprees at Hermès, Louis Vuitton, and Brooks Brothers, credit card repayments, and self-gifting thousands of dollars in cash.
Additionally, in his guilty plea, Santos admitted to fraudulently collecting unemployment benefits during the Covid-19 pandemic. During the court session on Friday, New York state Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon provided a victim impact statement, highlighting that Santos’ “criminal actions demonstrate a callous disregard for his constituents and fellow citizens.”
“His campaign for Congress didn’t turn him into a fraudster,” prosecutor Ryan Harris stated. “It simply revealed him for what he already was.”
The extensive criminal investigation and a separate congressional inquiry, alongside significant media scrutiny, unearthed numerous lies Santos promoted regarding his education and career. This included false claims about his mother dying in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
In 2023, the House of Representatives voted to expel Santos after the ethics committee published a detailed report that uncovered “significant evidence” of his wrongdoing. Subsequently, Democrats reclaimed his Long Island seat in a special election.
“From his creation of a wholly fictitious biography to his callous theft of money from elderly and impaired donors, Santos’s unrestrained greed and voracious appetite for fame enabled him to exploit the very system by which we select our representatives,” prosecutors argued in their sentencing memo.
They recommended an 87-month sentence, largely because they believed Santos showed no remorse. Following their recommended sentence, prosecutors submitted an additional filing demonstrating his lack of regret through his social media posts, one of which depicted him as a “scapegoat.” In another instance, he rejected the claim that he used campaign funds for luxury shopping, asserting, “No matter how hard the DOJ comes for me, they are mad because they will NEVER break my spirit.”
In a letter submitted to the court, Santos expressed that he is “profoundly sorry for the criminal conduct to which I pled guilty” but insisted he had the right to “protest” the Justice Department’s sentencing request. He proposed a two-year sentence, the legal minimum for one of his guilty counts.
Early in Friday’s proceedings, the judge dismissed Santos’ criticisms of the Justice Department, labeling the case as “hardly a vindictive government prosecution,” and rejected his plea for a lighter sentence with a firm reminder, “that’s not going to be possible.”
Anna Muller for TROIB News
The 87-month sentence was delivered as Santos broke into tears. It follows a year in Congress where his actions led prosecutors to label him a “pathological liar and fraudster.”
U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert criticized Santos' actions as “flagrant thievery,” calling him “an arrogant fraudster talking out of both sides of his mouth” as she imposed the lengthy sentence.
With a shaky voice, Santos addressed the court, admitting, “I betrayed the confidence entrusted to me by constituents, donors, colleagues and this court.”
He has until July 25 to report to prison. In addition, Seybert mandated that he pay over $373,000 in restitution, due immediately, and serve two years of supervised release after his prison term.
Santos’ political journey captured the attention of Washington and New York after he won a Long Island House seat during a relatively obscure 2022 race, which ultimately led to his rise and subsequent downfall. Although facing charges in May 2023, he initially resisted resignation, bolstered by some support from House Republicans. However, that support waned, and he became the first member since the Civil War to be expelled from the House without a criminal conviction.
In August 2024, Santos pleaded guilty to two felony charges, acknowledging that he accessed his campaign fundraising for personal benefit. He confessed to submitting false reports to the FEC during his congressional campaign and to stealing personal identities and financial details from elderly and cognitively impaired donors, using their credit cards without permission to contribute to his campaign and others.
He also confessed to convincing donors to fund what he claimed was a social welfare organization or super PAC but instead redirected their contributions to luxury accommodations at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, shopping sprees at Hermès, Louis Vuitton, and Brooks Brothers, credit card repayments, and self-gifting thousands of dollars in cash.
Additionally, in his guilty plea, Santos admitted to fraudulently collecting unemployment benefits during the Covid-19 pandemic. During the court session on Friday, New York state Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon provided a victim impact statement, highlighting that Santos’ “criminal actions demonstrate a callous disregard for his constituents and fellow citizens.”
“His campaign for Congress didn’t turn him into a fraudster,” prosecutor Ryan Harris stated. “It simply revealed him for what he already was.”
The extensive criminal investigation and a separate congressional inquiry, alongside significant media scrutiny, unearthed numerous lies Santos promoted regarding his education and career. This included false claims about his mother dying in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
In 2023, the House of Representatives voted to expel Santos after the ethics committee published a detailed report that uncovered “significant evidence” of his wrongdoing. Subsequently, Democrats reclaimed his Long Island seat in a special election.
“From his creation of a wholly fictitious biography to his callous theft of money from elderly and impaired donors, Santos’s unrestrained greed and voracious appetite for fame enabled him to exploit the very system by which we select our representatives,” prosecutors argued in their sentencing memo.
They recommended an 87-month sentence, largely because they believed Santos showed no remorse. Following their recommended sentence, prosecutors submitted an additional filing demonstrating his lack of regret through his social media posts, one of which depicted him as a “scapegoat.” In another instance, he rejected the claim that he used campaign funds for luxury shopping, asserting, “No matter how hard the DOJ comes for me, they are mad because they will NEVER break my spirit.”
In a letter submitted to the court, Santos expressed that he is “profoundly sorry for the criminal conduct to which I pled guilty” but insisted he had the right to “protest” the Justice Department’s sentencing request. He proposed a two-year sentence, the legal minimum for one of his guilty counts.
Early in Friday’s proceedings, the judge dismissed Santos’ criticisms of the Justice Department, labeling the case as “hardly a vindictive government prosecution,” and rejected his plea for a lighter sentence with a firm reminder, “that’s not going to be possible.”
Anna Muller for TROIB News
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