George Santos, once a rising figure in New York politics who rapidly fell from grace, was sentenced on Friday in his wide-ranging federal corruption case—and broke down in tears as the judgment was delivered.
U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert sentenced Santos, the ex-congressman from Long Island, to seven years and three months in prison. He was also ordered to pay $373,000 in restitution. Santos had built his campaign on a foundation of fabrications and deception, and his lies eventually caught up with him in court.
Santos, 36, admitted guilt back in August to charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. In doing so, he confessed to duping donors and using the identities of multiple individuals—including relatives and acquaintances—to artificially boost his donor list.
Although he held his congressional seat for less than a full term, having flipped a district covering parts of Queens and Nassau County, Santos was expelled in December 2023, becoming only the sixth member of the U.S. House of Representatives ever to be removed from office.
Since his ouster from Congress, Santos has turned to selling custom video messages through the platform Cameo, charging $100 per clip. On the day of his sentencing, he declined to take questions from reporters as he arrived in court, but earlier in the day he posted the word “Soon” with prayer-hand emojis on X.
Federal prosecutors had requested the maximum sentence under guidelines—seven years—pointing to Santos’ behavior both online and offline as evidence that he hadn’t shown genuine contrition.
In their filings, the prosecution cited recent posts from Santos, including one where he described himself as a “scapegoat,” and argued these showed he lacked remorse and was still lashing out at the justice system.
Defense attorneys countered the accusations, explaining that Santos’ online criticism was a response to what he saw as an overly severe punishment—not an indication that he didn’t regret his actions. They maintained he remained “profoundly sorry” for his conduct.
Santos won election in 2022, but it wasn’t long before the truth about his background began to unravel. He had falsely stated that he earned degrees from Baruch College and New York University and that he had been employed at financial powerhouses like Citigroup and Goldman Sachs. In fact, he had no college diploma and had never held direct positions at those companies.
By May 2023, a 23-count federal indictment was brought against him, alleging a variety of financial crimes tied to his campaign activities between October 2021 and October 2022.
Prosecutors laid out how Santos misled Congress about his finances, accepted unemployment benefits despite being employed, and misused campaign donations to support an extravagant lifestyle that included designer clothes, Botox treatments, and luxury getaways.
The scandal also ensnared his former campaign treasurer, Nancy Marks, who was charged and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. She is expected to be sentenced next month, with prosecutors recommending a term of between three and a half to four years.
In a recent interview with NY1, Santos said he hoped to be held in protective custody once incarcerated, expressing concern for his personal safety.
He also admitted in that same conversation that he currently does not have the financial means to repay the restitution sum included in his plea agreement.
Santos is expected to report to prison on July 25 to begin serving his sentence.
{Matzav.com}