Former congressman George Santos sentenced to seven years for fraud

The disgraced New York Republican previously had pleaded guilty to fraud and identity theft for lying about campaign funds and fleecing donors

Former US congressman George Santos arrives at federal court for sentencing Picture: AP /Julia Demaree Nikhinson

George Santos, the disgraced former New York congressman who fabricated his life story to win public office, was sentenced Friday to just over seven years in prison for lying about his campaign fundraising and stealing from political donors.

Santos pleaded guilty in 2024 to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, less than two years after winning a House seat as a Republican covering parts of Long Island and Queens. His surprising election victory and biographical boasts drew scrutiny from the media and investigators, ultimately exposing much of his professional life and education as fiction. The House voted to expel him in December 2023.

US District Judge Joanna Seybert said at his sentencing in a federal court in Long Island that Santos had shown no contrition over his crimes. “Where’s the remorse? Where do I see it?” she said.

Santos, dressed in a gray suit, put his hands over his head as the judge handed down the sentence.

Earlier in the proceeding, he asked for leniency, saying he was humbled and acknowledging he couldn’t rewrite the past.

“I betrayed the confidence entrusted to me by constituents, donors, colleagues and this court,” he said, crying as he read a statement. He is scheduled to start his prison term on July 25.

George Santos looks on as the House of Representatives continues voting for new speaker in 2023. Picture: AFP

Federal prosecutors called Santos a pathological liar and fraudster who falsely portrayed himself as a successful businessman and real estate mogul with previous stints at Citigroup and Goldman Sachs. They had asked for the same sentence, 87 months, that the judge ultimately handed down.

“His campaign didn’t turn him into a fraudster,” Assistant US Attorney Ryan Harris told the judge. “It simply revealed him for what he already was.”

Despite his guilty plea, Santos remained unrepentant for his crimes, prosecutors said. His victims included elderly individuals suffering from cognitive impairment whose credit card information he stole. None of them have been repaid, according to prosecutors, despite earning a total of $566,000 from cameos and participating in a documentary.

Meanwhile, Santos has continued to shirk responsibility for his actions, prosecutors said, pointing to a recent episode of his podcast and social-media posts in which he portrayed himself as a victim of prosecutorial overreach and blamed his circumstances on misplaced trust in others.

“It speaks volumes about his lack of contrition,” Harris said.

Lawyers for Santos previously said in a court filing that his recent social-media posts were made out of frustration and a belief that the government’s recommended prison term was too severe. He and his lawyers had asked a judge to give him two years in prison.

“He is human. He has flaws. Clearly he has more flaws than the rest of us,” Andrew Mancilla, a lawyer for Santos, told the judge at the sentencing. But the lawyer added that Santos was shaped by a troubled family upbringing and has a warm and caring side.

“He is ashamed, he is so remorseful, and he is so sorry,” Mancilla said.

The US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York charged Santos in 2023, just months after he began his term in the House of Representatives. He used stolen credit-card information to make unauthorized contributions to his campaign and to a fake political-action committee that he used as a personal piggy bank, according to prosecutors.

He also solicited donations to the bogus PAC, using the money to cover a hotel stay in Las Vegas, pay car loans and make purchases at Hugo Boss, Hermès, and Louis Vuitton, prosecutors said.

His lies extended to his campaign finance filings, they said. He falsely inflated his fundraising numbers in order to qualify for financing and assistance through a program run by the Republican National Congressional Committee.

Wall Street Journal