Disgraced former Republican lawmaker George Santos, who was expelled from the US Congress for using stolen donor cash to bankroll a lavish lifestyle, was sentenced to seven years in prison on Friday, April 25. Santos, 36, had faced at least two years in prison and a maximum of 22 years, after pleading guilty to federal wire fraud and aggravated identity theft for his elaborate grifting while a lawmaker. Judge Joanna Seybert, in Federal District Court in Central Islip, sentenced Santos to seven years and three months. "Where is your remorse? Where do I see it?" she asked as she sentenced him. She said the former politician appeared to feel that "it's always someone else’s fault."
In August 2024, she had ordered Santos to pay more than $370,000 in restitution, which prosecutors say has gone unpaid. Despite his guilty plea, federal prosecutors have insisted that Santos's social media shows his claims of remorse "ring hollow." "As of this writing, despite years of actively courting media attention and capitalizing on his infamy, Santos has forfeited nothing of his ill-gotten gains and has not repaid one cent to any of the victims of his financial crimes," prosecutors wrote.
"From the moment he declared his candidacy for Congress, Santos leveraged his campaign for his own enrichment and financial benefit," said prosecutor John Durham. "He admitted to engaging in a brazen crime spree that took place over a period of years. He stole personal identities and financial information from campaign contributors, made unauthorized transfers of money to his campaign, and to himself personally," said Durham. "He went so far as to seek out elderly people with cognitive impairment and dementia."
Santos appealed for mercy, telling the court, through tears, that he was "humbled" and "chastised" and realized 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."
Santos, 36, had initially been scheduled to go on trial on September 9 on some two dozen charges, but opted instead to enter a guilty plea to wire fraud and identity theft. He is due to report to prison on July 25. He didn't respond to reporters' shouted questions outside the courthouse, but he told The Associated Press (AP) on Thursday that he was resigned to his fate. "I'm doing as well as any human being would be doing given the circumstances," Santos wrote in a text message, adding that he was "ready to face the music." He has also said that he has no plans to request a pardon from US President Donald Trump and is resigned to prison.
Ahead of his sentencing, Santos suspended his Cameo account, on which users had been able to pay to request custom videos. "I have disabled the ability to make new requests as I am unsure if I will be able to fulfill them in recent days," he wrote on X.
The downfall of the congressman from Long Island came after it was revealed he had fabricated almost his entire backstory, including his education, religion and work history. Santos's bizarre biographical fabrications included claiming to have worked for Goldman Sachs, being Jewish and having been a college volleyball star.
Santos was elected to the US House of Representatives in 2022 and was indicted the following year for stealing from campaign donors and engaging in credit card fraud, money laundering and identity theft. Santos used donor money for Botox treatments and the OnlyFans porn website, as well as luxury Italian goods and vacations to the Hamptons and Las Vegas, according to an investigation by a congressional ethics committee.
He was ultimately doomed by the congressional probe that found overwhelming evidence of misconduct and accused him of seeking to "fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy." Santos was expelled from the House in 2023, becoming only the third person to be ejected as a US lawmaker since the Civil War, a rebuke previously reserved for traitors and convicted criminals.
In February 2024, voters in his suburban New York district picked Democrat Tom Suozzi to replace him.