Former US Representative George Santos was sentenced to more than seven years in prison in New York on Friday for federal wire fraud and identity theft charges.
Just before noon, the judge in Central Islip, Long Island, imposed the maximum 87-month sentence.
Federal prosecutors allege that the former congressman exaggerated or fabricated significant portions of his backstory in order to defraud voters and donors in New York’s 3rd Congressional District. He faced almost a dozen criminal charges before pleading guilty to two last August.
After the sentencing, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, John Durham, told reporters that Santos’ crimes were a “affront to our electoral process, our representative government, and the people of New York’s 3rd Congressional District.”
“But today, Santos has finally been held accountable for his years of deception, fraud, and theft. He’s going to federal prison and will be punished for his staggering fraud, for the abuses he inflicted on our electoral process, for mocking our democratic institutions, and, most importantly, for betraying and defrauding his supporters, voters, donors, federal and state agencies,” Durham said outside the courthouse. “Today’s sentence demonstrates that this egregious conduct will not, and never will be, tolerated.”
“On July 25th, George Santos will finally be where he belongs: behind bars, answering for these crimes,” Nassau District Attorney Anne Donnelly stated.
Santos spoke with CBS News by phone while driving to court on Friday morning, and he said he was prepared for the judge to impose a harsh sentence. He stated that he had no expectations regarding the judge’s decision or when he would have to report to prison. Santos has stated that he will not ask for a pardon.
The 36-year-old entered the courthouse amid a crush of reporters and photographers. He was seen hugging supporters and looking somber, with bloodshot eyes, as he entered.
At sentencing, the federal judge asked, “Where is your remorse?” It’s always somebody else’s fault.
Santos read a statement to the judge, apologizing for shattering many people’s faith and expressing humility through tears. He apologized profusely and admitted that he had betrayed his supporters and the institutions he was sworn to serve. He went on to say that while he cannot change the past, he does want a balanced sentence and the opportunity to contribute to the community he wronged.
He was later seen leaving the courthouse alongside his attorneys. It is unclear when he will report for his sentence.
A crowd of his former constituents gathered outside, holding signs that read “Truth Matters” and “We Refuse to Be Deceived Again.”
“My reaction while sitting in the courtroom was ‘cry me a river,'” said Jody Kass Finkel of Concerned Citizens of NY-03.
There were a few fans in the courtroom as well.
“Donald Trump will commute his sentence, as he should. And he should,” Santos supporter David Rem stated.
Santos asked for leniency ahead of sentencing
The US Department of Justice wanted Santos to serve 87 months in prison, while his lawyers requested only 24 months.
In a recent filing, the DOJ stated that he is “unrepentant for his crimes” and cited various social media posts as “hardly an expression of ‘genuine remorse.'”
Santos wrote to the judge earlier this week, requesting leniency and admitting responsibility.
“This case has cost me my congressional seat, reputation, livelihood, and, most painfully, the trust of those who believed in me. Every sunrise since that plea has brought the same realization: “I did this, me.” Santos wrote, “I am responsible.” “But saying I’m sorry doesn’t require me to sit quietly while these prosecutors try to drop an anvil on my head.”
He previously informed his followers that he intends to request solitary confinement in prison.
Santos was part of “red wave” for Republican party
Santos helped Republicans win the House of Representatives in the 2022 midterm elections, representing New York’s 3rd Congressional District, which includes parts of Queens and Nassau County.
Before he was sworn into office, his lies began to unravel.
Federal investigators brought the first charges against Santos in May 2023, followed by additional charges in October. The House Ethics Committee issued a scathing 56-page report the following month, outlining the extent of his misconduct.
Santos was removed from Congress weeks later, becoming only the sixth House member to be expelled in US history.
What did George Santos do?
In a sentencing memo filed earlier this month, prosecutors said he “made a mockery of our election system,” adding that he did more than just pad his resume, using “a wholly fictitious biography to enrich himself and capture one of the highest offices.”
Prosecutors claim Santos provided false financial disclosures to Congress, claiming he was a multimillionaire, and asked a vendor to forge a Baruch College diploma.
In the sentencing memo, they wrote that these were “intentional and bald-faced lies” of a “professional fraudster”—”a fictitious public image of a highly educated, independently wealthy businessman.”
“He admitted to a brazen crime spree that spanned several years. Durham stated on Friday that he stole personal identities and financial information from campaign contributors and made unauthorized transfers of funds to his campaign and to himself personally. “He defrauded prospective political supporters by convincing them to make campaign contributions based on false statements, and then kept the money for himself.
“He lied to get unemployment benefits when he wasn’t eligible because he had a job. “He lied to the Federal Election Commission about how much money his campaign had raised, and he used that to trick the National Republican Congressional Committee into giving his campaign money it did not deserve,” Durham continued. “And he lied to congress on his financial disclosure forms.”
The sentencing memo detailed fake donations made in the names of relatives, a credit card fraud scheme that stole from elderly and cognitively impaired donors to purchase designer goods, and another that set up a bogus nonprofit to solicit donations.
It also stated that Santos claimed to have loaned $500,000 to his campaign despite having less than $10,000 in his name, and that he received unemployment benefits while working for a firm that was later revealed to be a Ponzi scheme.
“From the moment he declared his candidacy for congress, Santos leveraged his campaign for his own enrichment and financial benefit,” according to Durham. “He accomplished this by addressing specific supporters and constituents. He saw them as easy targets and made them victims of his fraud.”
“It was not a mistake. It wasn’t an oops. It wasn’t ‘I don’t know what I’m doing.’ It’s very obvious when you steal money from UI,” said Roberta Reardon, commissioner of the New York State Department of Labor.
As part of his plea agreement, he agreed to pay over $575,000 in restitution and forfeiture.