Former New York Republican Rep. George Santos is seeking a sentencing delay to make the more than $575,000 he will owe in fines per his plea agreement.
Santos is slated to receive his sentence on the two charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft on Feb. 7, but he claimed in a Tuesday filing that he doesn’t have the money to pay the amount. Santos’s podcast Pants on Fire has a “promising revenue stream” but will need at least until August to earn the needed profit due to “technical and logistical impediments,” according to the filing.
“Mr. Santos now has a viable path to making meaningful progress in satisfying his obligations, requiring only additional time for the quarterly compensation structure to generate sufficient funds,” the filing read.
These fines include a $373,749 restitution payment for stealing credit card information toward a campaign finance fraud plot and a forfeiture payment of $205,002. In addition to the fines, Santos is facing a minimum of two years in prison in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
Pants on Fire began after Santos pleaded guilty in August. The podcast describes itself as a “weekly gossip show that serves up a mix of candor and comedy as George sits down with guests from politics, pop culture, and beyond.” There are more than 100 episodes on Spotify and X, including the four most recent episodes on YouTube that were shared about three weeks ago. While his episodes on X receive tens of thousands of views, on YouTube, he has just over 60 subscribers.
Production company York and Wilder is behind the podcast. The Washington Examiner reached out to the company for comment.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Since December 2023, shortly after he was ousted from Congress, Santos has sold personalized videos on Cameo for about $100 each. Prosecutors in the case allege that he has made $400,000 since joining the platform. They also say a documentary that was released around the same time he joined the platform made him another $400,000.
The plea agreement follows two others from Santos’s office: Nancy Marks and Sam Miele. Marks, formerly his treasurer, pleaded guilty to conspiring with the former congressman to commit wire fraud and identity theft, among other charges, in 2023. Miele, formerly his fundraiser, pleaded guilty to wire fraud.