Disgraced former Rep. George Santos has requested a delay until August of his sentencing for fraud so that he can use the funds he makes from his new podcast to pay off his fines.

But prosecutors said in a filing Tuesday that he doesn’t deserve a delay.

“A delay to allow Santos to develop his podcast — the title of which is a tone-deaf and unrepentant reference to the crimes he committed — is presumptively unreasonable,” they wrote.

Santos owes the government nearly $580,000 in fines, including nearly $375,000 in restitution and roughly $205,000 in forfeiture. He pleaded guilty last August to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in a scandal involving lying to voters about his background.

“Santos’s claims are facially speculative and, in any event, entirely insufficient to warrant such a lengthy adjournment,” prosecutors wrote.

He is set to be scheduled on Feb. 7, but his lawyers argued for the date to be pushed until August, pointing out that he’s required to pay the forfeiture amount 30 days before his court date.

They said his new podcast, “Pants on Fire with George Santos,” would provide him with a “viable path to making meaningful progress in satisfying his obligations, requiring only additional time for the quarterly compensation structure to generate sufficient funds.”

They said the podcast was supposed to start in September, but got delayed until December.

Prosecutors questioned the New York Republican’s claim that he only has roughly $1,000 in liquid assets, since he made $400,000 from his Cameo appearances and $400,000 from a new documentary, all on top of his $174,000 salary as a congressman.

They argued that “allowing Santos to stave off sentencing specifically to monetize his infamy would send a message to the public that crime pays.”

He was voted into office in 2022, but was expelled from the House in December 2023 after the revelations that he had lied about most of his resume and biography, including where he went to university, where he worked, and even being Jewish. An ethics committee report determined there was “overwhelming evidence” he broke the law multiple times and exploited his office for profit.

He was considered an up-and-comer before the scandals started popping up.

• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.