Disgraced former U.S. Rep. George Santos was sentenced to 87 months in prison on Friday, after pleading guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert delivered the sentence in Central Islip, New York, condemning Santos’s “flagrant thievery” and “arrogant fraud,” while questioning his remorse during an emotionally charged hearing.
Santos admitted to deceiving donors and stealing identities, including those of family members, to fund his 2022 congressional campaign. He pleaded guilty in August 2024 as part of a deal requiring $580,000 in penalties.
Federal prosecutors described him as a “pathological liar” who showed no genuine remorse, citing his recent social media posts casting himself as a “scapegoat” and his podcast, Pants on Fire, which they argued demonstrated his “lack of contrition”.
The court ordered Santos to repay $373,749.97 to victims and forfeit $205,002.97. Judge Seybert also mandated two years of supervised release post-prison.
During sentencing, Santos, 36, broke down in tears but faced sharp rebukes from the judge, who challenged his deflection of blame, asking, “Where is your remorse?” His lawyers sought a two-year term, aligning with sentences for similar political crimes, while prosecutors pushed for the maximum penalty, citing his “unrestrained greed”.
Santos, expelled from Congress in December 2023, became the first member ousted without a conviction since the Civil War.
His brief tenure unravelled after revelations that he fabricated his resume, including false claims about Wall Street experience and a fictional real estate portfolio.
He must report to prison by July 25. In a pre-sentencing text to the AP, Santos said he was “ready to face the music,” while his social media posts framed him as a victim of prosecutorial overreach.
