Former Rep. George Santos was sentenced Friday to 87 months in prison on federal fraud and identity theft charges, marking a staggering downfall for the New York Republican whose fabrications and financial misconduct upended Capitol Hill and national politics. U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert ordered Santos to surrender by July 25 and pay nearly $374,000 in restitution to his victims.
"Where is the remorse?" Seybert asked during sentencing in federal court in Central Islip, New York, after a tearful Santos acknowledged he had "betrayed the confidence entrusted in me." The judge, unmoved by his emotional plea, said Santos was "fully deserving" of the lengthy sentence and criticized him for continuing to profit off his notoriety rather than making efforts to repay victims.
John J. Durham, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, called the sentencing "justice," saying Santos had been "finally held accountable for the mountain of lies, theft, and fraud he perpetrated."
Santos, 36, pleaded guilty last August to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges tied to his 2022 congressional campaign. Prosecutors accused him of stealing donors' identities, fabricating parts of his résumé, and using campaign contributions to finance a lavish lifestyle, including spending on luxury goods, travel, and subscriptions to adult content sites.
"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 wrote in their sentencing memo, calling him "a pathological liar" with "a craven effort to leverage his lawbreaking as a springboard to celebrity and riches."
Santos' defense team requested a minimum two-year sentence, arguing he was a first-time offender whose "misguided desperation related to his political campaign" led to his crimes, not inherent malice. They described Santos as a 36-year-old gay man from a broken home who "built an alter ego that he showed the world."
In court, Seybert dismissed the defense's arguments, noting Santos' ongoing attempts to profit from his infamy through ventures like his podcast, Pants on Fire with George Santos, and a documentary deal. She called it "incredible" that he had not set aside funds to repay his victims despite earning hundreds of thousands of dollars after leaving Congress.
Prosecutors highlighted conflicting financial disclosures by Santos, noting he claimed to have earned $400,000 in one statement and $358,256 in another through Cameo videos, and gave varying figures for his documentary earnings. They warned that "without a substantial deterrent, Santos will continue to deceive and defraud for years to come."
Santos, who represented parts of Long Island and Queens, was expelled from the House in December 2023 after a scathing Ethics Committee report detailed further alleged misconduct, including misusing campaign funds for personal expenses. He briefly attempted a comeback bid as an independent before abandoning his campaign and later pleading guilty.
In interviews leading up to his sentencing, Santos expressed hopes for clemency, telling NY1 that he believed "the president is aware of my situation" and that if former President Donald Trump "feels like I'm worthy of a commutation or of clemency... he can make that decision."
