Prosecutors seek 7 years in prison for disgraced ex-US Rep. George
Santos in federal fraud case
[April 05, 2025]
By PHILIP MARCELO
NEW YORK (AP) — Prosecutors are seeking more than seven years in prison
for disgraced former U.S. Rep. George Santos after he pleaded guilty to
federal fraud and identity theft charges.
The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York argued in a court
filing Friday that a significant sentence was warranted because the New
York Republican’s “unparalleled crimes” had “made a mockery” of the
country’s election system.
“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," the office wrote.
Prosecutors also argued that Santos had been “unrepentant and defiant”
for years, dismissing the prosecution as a “witch hunt” and refusing to
resign from Congress as his web of lies was debunked.
They said his claims of remorse after pleading guilty “ring hollow" and
suggested he has a “high likelihood of reoffending" given he has not
forfeited any of his ill-gotten gains or repaid any of his victims.
Santos’ lawyers, in an email to The Associated Press, dismissed the
seven-year proposal as “absurd and unfounded,” saying it appears
“designed to beat up on a man that already took full responsibility for
his actions.”
In their own sentencing memo Friday, they rejected the notion that
Santos will fall back into criminal behavior, noting he has no prior
criminal record and also provides “crucial” support to his sister and
her young daughter.
They argued for a two-year prison term, which is the mandatory minimum
sentence for aggravated identity theft.
The lawyers maintain such a sentence is in line with those handed to
former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and other political figures facing
similar financial crimes.
They also touted Santos' cooperation in a separate federal investigation
into a Texas man who tried to dupe Santos out of nearly $1 million by
posing as a political fixer offering to destroy evidence in his cases.
“This sentence, coupled with the significant collateral consequences Mr.
Santos has already suffered—including the loss of his congressional seat
and public humiliation — would send a clear message that such conduct
will not be tolerated,” the lawyers wrote.
A federal judge on Long Island is scheduled to decide Santos’ sentence
during a court hearing April 25.
The once-rising Republican, who represented parts of Queens and Long
Island, served barely a year in office before he was ousted by his House
colleagues in 2023, just the sixth congressperson ever expelled in the
chamber’s history.
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Former U.S. Rep. George Santos arrives at court in Central Islip,
N.Y., Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah, File)
Santos’ political demise came after it was revealed that he had
fabricated much of his life story, leading to questions about how
the political unknown had funded his winning campaign.
The now-36-year-old cast himself as a wealthy businessman who had
graduated from top colleges, worked at prestigious Wall Street firms
and held a valuable real estate portfolio. In truth, he was
struggling financially and faced eviction.
Santos admitted in August that he duped voters, deceived donors and
stole the identities of nearly a dozen people, including his own
family members, to make donations to his congressional campaign.
He was initially due to be sentenced in February, but a judge
granted him a three-month reprieve to come up with more than half a
million dollars in court fines.
As part of his plea deal, Santos agreed to pay nearly $375,000 in
restitution and $205,000 in forfeiture.
Santos’ lawyers said at the time that he had little more than $1,000
in liquid assets and needed more time to build his newly launched
podcast “Pants on Fire” in order to begin paying off the debt.
Prosecutors maintain Santos profited handsomely from his infamy,
arguing he has earned more than $800,000 from appearances on the
video-sharing website Cameo and from a new documentary since his
expulsion from Congress.
Two of Santos’ campaign staffers have also pleaded guilty to federal
charges in connection to the campaign financing scheme.
Sam Miele, his former campaign fundraiser, was sentenced in March to
one year and one day in federal prison. He admitted to impersonating
a high-ranking congressional aide and charging donors’ credit cards
without authorization while raising campaign cash for Santos.
Nancy Marks, Santos’ former campaign treasurer, admitted to filing
bogus campaign finance reports filled with fake donors and a fake
$500,000 personal loan from Santos himself.
The embellishments helped the campaign hit fundraising thresholds
needed to qualify for financial backing from the national Republican
Party. Marks is due to be sentenced in May.
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