Ex-US Rep. George Santos sentenced to over 7 years in prison for fraud
and identity theft
[April 26, 2025]
By PHILIP MARCELO
CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) — Disgraced former U.S. Rep. George Santos was
sentenced Friday to over seven years in prison, sobbing as he learned
his punishment for the crimes that led to his expulsion from Congress.
Santos, who pleaded guilty last summer to federal wire fraud and
aggravated identity theft, appealed for mercy. In a federal court a
short drive from his old congressional district, he said through tears
that he was “humbled” and “chastened” and understood he had betrayed his
constituents' trust.
“I offer my deepest apologies,” he said, adding: “I cannot rewrite the
past, but I can control the road ahead.”
U.S. District Court Judge Joanna Seybert evidently wasn't convinced.
“Where is your remorse? Where do I see it?” she asked as she sentenced
him to 87 months behind bars. “It’s always someone else’s fault.”
The New York Republican, who must report to prison July 25, didn’t
respond to reporters’ questions outside the courthouse.
Hours later, though, he took to social media angling for a White House
reprieve, despite saying in recent days he wouldn’t seek clemency.
“I believe that 7 years is an over the top politically influenced
sentence and I implore that President Trump gives me a chance to prove
I’m more than the mistakes I’ve made,” he wrote on the social platform X
late Friday.
Santos, 36, served in Congress less than a year before becoming just the
sixth member of the House to be ousted by colleagues.
He admitted to deceiving donors and stealing the identities of nearly a
dozen people, including his family members, to fund his winning
campaign. His plea deal included agreeing to pay roughly $580,000 in
penalties.
“From the moment he declared his candidacy for Congress, Santos
leveraged his campaign for his own enrichment and financial benefit,”
U.S. Attorney John Durham, whose office prosecuted the case, said
outside court.
Santos’ victims included a woman with brain damage and two octogenarian
men, prosecutor Ryan Harris told the judge.
Defense lawyer Andrew Mancilla had asked the judge for a sentence of two
years, portraying Santos as a troubled figure who grew up in a “broken
house” and was subjected to bullying throughout his life.
As a result, “he built the man he wanted to be, not who he was,”
Mancilla said. “He did that because he believed that the world would not
accept him for who he was.”
“Deep down, he is warm, kind, caring and thoughtful,” Mancilla said.
But, the lawyer said, now “everyone hates George Santos.”
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New York State Department of Labor commissioner Roberta Reardon,
center, walks out of federal court after the sentencing of former
U.S. Rep. George Santos, Friday, April 25, 2025, in Central Islip,
N.Y. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Santos was elected in 2022, flipping a wealthy district representing
parts of Queens and Long Island for the GOP.
Soon after, it was revealed that the political unknown had
fabricated much of his life story, painting himself as a successful
business owner who worked at prestigious Wall Street firms and held
a valuable real estate portfolio.
In reality, Santos was struggling financially and even faced
eviction.
He falsely claimed to have been a volleyball star at a college he
never even attended. He had referred to himself during the campaign
as “a proud American Jew,” but later acknowledged that he was
Catholic and insisted he'd only said he was “Jew-ish” after learning
that his maternal family had a Jewish background.
Reporters uncovered that Santos had been accused in Brazil of using
stolen checks to buy clothing, and that he had once been charged in
Pennsylvania with using bad checks to buy puppies from dog breeders.
The revelations led to congressional and criminal inquiries into how
he had funded his campaign.
“He told lie after lie until it caught up with him — until we caught
up with him and exposed him for what he truly was: an opportunist
and a fraud,” Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly, a
Republican, said outside court Friday. Her office also investigated
Santos.
Before winning office, Santos collected unemployment benefits from
New York state while actually working for a Florida company. Once in
Congress, he cosponsored legislation intended to root out
unemployment fraud.
As his sentencing approached, Santos was reflective and apologetic
in social media posts, but at other times seemed to relish his
notoriety.
He launched a podcast called “Pants on Fire with George Santos,” and
earned hundreds of thousands of dollars selling cheerful,
personalized video messages on Cameo. He leaned into his longtime
support of Trump, praising the new administration.
The week of his sentencing, Santos told The Associated Press by text
he was “ready to face the music.” On X, he made one final plug for
his Cameo account.
“Think ahead and of any celebration or event coming up later this
year. Book them today,” Santos wrote, ending the post with a series
of heart emojis.
___
Associated Press writers Jennifer Peltz and Jake Offenhartz in New
York contributed to this story.
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