Former New York Republican Congressman George Santos has been sentenced to 87 months in prison after pleading guilty to fraud and identity theft charges. The sentencing took place in federal court on Friday.
George Santos, 36 years old, served in the U.S. House of Representatives for about a year before he was kicked out by his fellow lawmakers in 2023. At the time, he had not yet been convicted, but he was facing 23 serious charges, including wire fraud, credit card fraud, identity theft, and falsifying documents.
How Santos Reacted in Court
According to the Associated Press, Santos cried during his sentencing. U.S. District Court Judge Joanna Seybert questioned Santos’s feelings of regret. She asked him, “Where is your remorse? Where do I see it?” She added that he seemed to always blame others for his problems.
Santos is expected to report to prison by July 26th, as confirmed by a source to Fox News.
What Prosecutors and Officials Said
John Durham, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said, “Today, George Santos was finally held accountable for the mountain of lies, theft, and fraud he committed. For him, it was judgment day, and for his victims, it is justice.”
Santos admitted he had deceived campaign donors and stolen the identities of nearly a dozen people to fund his election campaign. As part of his plea deal, he agreed to pay almost $600,000 in penalties.
Federal prosecutors had asked the court to sentence Santos to 87 months in prison. Meanwhile, his lawyers requested a much shorter two-year sentence.
Santos’s Actions Before Sentencing
Before his sentencing, Santos spoke to the Associated Press, saying, “I’m doing as well as any human being would be doing given the circumstances. I will be in court tomorrow, ready to face the music.”
However, prosecutors argued that Santos did not truly feel sorry. They pointed to his recent social media posts, where he said things like, “No matter how hard the DOJ comes for me, they are mad because they will NEVER break my spirit.” They said this showed he was still unrepentant.
In a letter to the court on April 21, Santos said he was “profoundly sorry” for his crimes. He also argued that the prosecutors were going too far by using his social media posts against him. Santos wrote, “True remorse isn’t mute; it is aware of itself, and it speaks up.”
Santos’s Political Background
George Santos was elected to Congress in 2022 after flipping a district that covers parts of Queens and Long Island in New York. During his campaign, he made many false claims about his life.
He said he went to New York University, worked at big financial companies like Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, and even claimed his grandparents escaped from the Nazis during World War II—all of which turned out to be false.
After being removed from office, Santos tried to make a political comeback by running as an Independent in a neighboring district, but he did not succeed.