George Santos Sentenced to Over 7 Years in Prison for Fraud and Identity Theft
Disgraced former U.S. Rep. George Santos, who lied about his life story and defrauded donors, was sentenced Friday to over seven years in prison, sobbing as he heard his punishment.
Santos, who pleaded guilty last summer to federal wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, appealed for mercy, telling a court through tears that he was 'humbled' and 'chastised' and realized he had betrayed his constituents' trust.
More from The Hollywood Reporter
Jimmy Kimmel Reacts to "Preposterous" George Santos Lawsuit
George Santos Talks Donald Trump, Hermès and Political Future in Interview With Ziwe: "I'll Be Back"
Jimmy Kimmel Says George Santos Is Demanding $20,000 for Showing Cameos on Late Night Show
'I offer my deepest apologies,' he said, adding: 'I cannot rewrite the past, but I can control the road ahead.'
U.S. District Court Judge Joanna Seybert evidently wasn't convinced.
'Where is your remorse? Where do I see it?' she asked as she sentenced him to 87 months behind bars. She said the former politician appeared to feel that 'it's always someone else's fault.'
The New York Republican served in Congress barely a year before his House colleagues ousted him in 2023.
He admitted to deceiving donors and stealing the identities of nearly a dozen people, including his family members, to fund his winning campaign. As part of a plea deal, Santos has agreed to pay roughly $580,000 in penalties in addition to prison time.
The 36-year-old didn't respond to reporters' shouted questions as he walked into a Long Island courthouse, but he told The Associated Press on Thursday that he was resigned to his fate.
'I'm doing as well as any human being would be doing given the circumstances,' Santos wrote in a text message, adding that he was 'ready to face the music.'
Prosecutors sought the 87-month sentence, questioning Santos' remorse in light of his recent social media posts casting himself as a victim of prosecutorial overreach.
Prosecutor Ryan Harris said some of Santos' victims were 'extremely vulnerable,' including a woman with brain damage and two octogenarian men who have dementia. Santos has said in recent days that he has no intention of paying back victims promptly, Harris noted.
'People think of this as a victimless crime because it's about money. There are many victims in this crime,' added New York Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon.
She addressed the court as a victim because Santos collected unemployment benefits while employed by a Florida company.
Santos' lawyers had called for a two-year prison stint, the mandatory minimum sentence for aggravated identity theft.
Defense lawyer Andrew Mancilla portrayed the ex-congressman as a troubled figure forged by adversity. Santos, who has no prior criminal record, grew up in a 'broken house' and was subjected to bullying throughout his life, the attorney said.
As a result, 'he built the man he wanted to be, not who he was,' Mancilla said. 'He did that because he believed that the world would not accept him for who he was.'
'Deep down, he is warm, kind, caring, and thoughtful,' Mancilla said.
But, the lawyer said, now 'everyone hates George Santos.'
Santos was elected in 2022, flipping a wealthy district representing parts of Queens and Long Island for the GOP.
Soon after, it was revealed that the political unknown had fabricated much of his life story, painting himself as a successful business owner who worked at prestigious Wall Street firms and held a valuable real estate portfolio.
In reality, Santos was struggling financially and even faced eviction. The revelations led to congressional and criminal inquiries into how he had funded his campaign.
As his sentencing approached, Santos was reflective in social media posts, thanking his supporters and detractors alike.
'I learned that no matter left, right or, center we are all humans and for the most part Americans (LOL) and we have one super power that I cherish and that is compassion,' he wrote Thursday on the social platform X. 'To the trolls… well you guys are an impactful part of how people shape themselves, and y'all made me much stronger and made my skin thicker!'
He also made one final plug for his Cameo account, where he records personalized video messages for $100.
'Think ahead and of any celebration or event coming up later this year. Book them today,' Santos wrote, ending the post with a series of heart emojis.
Best of The Hollywood Reporter
Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2025: Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Sabrina Carpenter and More
Hollywood's Highest-Profile Harris Endorsements: Taylor Swift, George Clooney, Bruce Springsteen and More
Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2024: Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, Olivia Rodrigo and More
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Axios
11 minutes ago
- Axios
Gina Ortiz Jones says there's no time to waste as San Antonio mayor
San Antonio mayor-elect Gina Ortiz Jones tells Axios she's not waiting to be sworn in to start tackling issues like a potential new Spurs arena, an expected budget deficit and the impact of Trump administration policies. Why it matters: The nonpartisan mayor's race became distinctly about politics as it drew money and influence from across Texas and the country. Now that it's over, Ortiz Jones must tackle the reality of everyday issues facing a city on the cusp of pivotal changes. Catch up quick: Ortiz Jones, who had national Democratic backing, beat out Republican Rolando Pablos 54% to 46%, cementing San Antonio as a reliably blue city. The big picture: Ortiz Jones will lead San Antonio at a critical time, as officials seek to gain public support for a new downtown Spurs arena that could be surrounded by a sports and entertainment district. Voters could be asked to weigh in on the project as soon as November. She will also lead the city through the remaining years of the Trump administration, under which San Antonio has lost millions of dollars in federal funding. The city is also expecting a budget deficit. What they're saying: "There's no time to waste, and I'm not going to wait until I am actually in the seat, because I think there's a lot of work and conversations we can have now that will be helpful to ensure (it's) as smooth a transition as possible," Ortiz Jones told Axios on Saturday. When asked about how she can get things done on a City Council poised to have a starker political divide, she said "I think there's going to be a lot that we can agree on ... I'm quite confident that we'll get to six (votes)." State of play: Ortiz Jones, who is the first openly gay woman elected San Antonio mayor, served as the Air Force undersecretary in the Biden administration and was twice the Democratic nominee for the 23rd Congressional District. She grew up on San Antonio's Far West Side. Between the lines: Pablos and his supporters appeared to both outraise and outspend Ortiz Jones in the runoff election, campaign finance reports show. Pablos got a big boost from the Texas Economic Fund, a political action committee run by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's former political director. Ortiz Jones had help from Fields of Change, a national Democratic PAC, and Emily's List. The bottom line: Ortiz Jones, who takes office June 18, says it was her personal background that helped her break through a crowded mayoral field.
Boston Globe
14 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Nebraska Republican says he won't follow GOP ‘off the cliff'
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up In an interview in his office last week, Bacon, at 61 serving his fifth term in Congress, would not say whether he voted for Trump last year. He also likened members of his party to people following someone off a cliff, compared himself to Winston Churchill speaking out against Adolf Hitler in the 1930s and criticized billionaire tech tycoon Elon Musk, who has bankrolled many of his Republican colleagues. Advertisement 'I sort of blame him for that disaster,' he said of Musk, referring to Musk exhorting Republicans late last year to tank a spending deal that was intended to avert a government shutdown. Advertisement On one level, Bacon is making a fairly obvious statement: Musk did play a crucial role in killing the spending bill. But it is the kind of obvious statement that most Republicans on Capitol Hill are not willing to make these days, for fear of jeopardizing their political futures as Musk threatens retribution against anyone who fails to vote the way he believes they should. In the coming weeks, Bacon, who represents a center-leaning district in the otherwise deeply red state of Nebraska that both former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris won by more than 4 percentage points, plans to announce whether or not he will seek a sixth term in Congress. His retirement would be welcome news for Democrats, who have long viewed Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District as one of their best opportunities to pick up a seat. They have consistently been denied because of Bacon's strong independent brand and unique electoral strength. Last month, a Democrat unseated a three-term Republican in the Omaha mayor's race. The morning after that race was called, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., the minority leader, told the House Democratic Caucus that they were officially on 'Don Bacon retirement watch,' and the room erupted in cheers, according to a person familiar with the meeting. Bacon would not discuss his plans, but his recent record of criticizing Trump and Musk suggests that he does not have a reelection campaign in mind. Still, in the interview, he said he had not given up on politics or on the Republican Party. 'I'd like to fight for the soul of our party,' Bacon said, sitting in his office as Trump and Musk's high-stakes alliance dissolved in real time on social media. 'I don't want to be the guy who follows the flute player off the cliff. I think that's what's going on right now.' Advertisement He also has no interest in taking the path of former Reps. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois or Liz Cheney of Wyoming and making a clean break with a GOP that no longer reflects many of his values. 'You can't be anti-everything,' he said. 'I like what the president has done on the border, so I have no problem with that.' He also likes being a negotiator. 'I don't like voting 'no,'' he said. 'I like fixing things.' At the moment, he is pressing Republican leaders to reject a proposal from the Trump administration to claw back $400 million for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the global health program started by President George W. Bush that is credited with saving more than 25 million lives worldwide. The proposal is part of a $9 billion package of spending cuts the White House sent to Capitol Hill last week, which House GOP leaders plan to bring to a vote this week. 'I told them I'm a no,' Bacon said of the bill. 'I just want to make sure we're funding the medicine. We want to prevent AIDS; it's a noble program; it's George Bush's legacy. I put the marker out there. We'll see.' Bacon, a mild-mannered Midwesterner with a permanent half-smile on his face, is too much of a traditional conservative to have ever voted for Harris. But he would not say whether he voted for Trump. This is not a normal pose for a Republican in 2025. But Bacon has grown more confident over the years, as he has consistently fended off both right-wing challengers and Democrats to hold onto his seat, that he can remain fairly independent and suffer no political consequences. Advertisement House leaders have begged him to keep more of his opinions to himself, telling him to, as Bacon puts it, 'quit kicking President Trump in the nuts.' In response, Bacon said he has assured them: 'I'll do it only when I think it's needed.' That is becoming more and more often. In the interview, Bacon said he was disappointed in Hegseth, because 'I expect leaders to take responsibility.' He got his back up about Vice President JD Vance's claims that Denmark has 'not been a good ally' to the United States. 'The Danes have lost more people per capita in Afghanistan than any other country,' he said. 'And to call them not a good ally? They were all in with us, and it wasn't fair.' He said he opposed Trump's decision to take away deportation protections for thousands of Afghans in the United States. 'These guys fought by our side; we have a compact with those guys,' he said. 'To me, it's not a morally right decision.' And he warned that if Russia overruns Ukraine, it will define Trump's entire legacy. 'President Trump will always be known as the president who had Ukraine fall,' he said. He is also unwilling to let some of the less important stuff slide, breaking with some of his Republican colleagues who, he said, have tried to persuade him to pick his battles. On renaming the Gulf of Mexico, he said: 'I thought it was dumb. That's what people told me -- they said, 'It's so dumb; just vote for it.' That argument didn't work on me.' Advertisement In an alternative universe where there was more appetite for a Republican willing to break with Trump, Bacon has the kind of temperament and resume that could prompt dreams of running for president. Raised on a farm in Illinois, Bacon served for nearly three decades in the U.S. Air Force, earning the rank of brigadier general and specializing in electronic warfare and intelligence. The self-described Reaganite Republican has served in the House for eight years, consistently winning a district that centers on Omaha, the 'blue dot' in an otherwise red state. Bacon said he does think about running for president, drawing a comparison between his own fairly independent position in a tribal party and Churchill's during the 1930s, when the British government was pursuing a policy of appeasement toward Nazi Germany. 'You never know; things change,' he said. 'Right now, probably not. But Winston Churchill, who is one of my heroes, he was very unpopular 1932 through '40 because he was anti-Nazi. But in 1940, they go, 'Who was the only guy that knew what was going on?' ' Bacon said his dream job would be to serve in a Republican administration in a Cabinet-level role. 'If I had a perfect lane, someday I'd love to work in an administration, as director of intelligence, or secretary of defense or Air Force.' That's exceedingly unlikely in the current administration. But if his independent streak costs him such opportunities, Bacon said he would be just fine with that. 'I'd rather go down in history as being on the right side of this stuff,' he said. Advertisement This article originally appeared in
Newsweek
14 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Cory Booker Says He Won't Take Money From Elon Musk
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Senator Cory Booker, a New Jersey Democrat, said during an appearance on NBC News on Sunday that he would not accept campaign donations from billionaire Elon Musk, but added that he would "welcome" the Tesla CEO getting involved in politics "in a more substantive way." Newsweek has reached out to Booker for comment via email on Sunday. Why It Matters Musk led the cost-cutting task force known as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) until the end of May. He served as a close adviser and key ally to President Donald Trump, and helped bankroll his 2024 campaign with more than $250 million in donations. On Tuesday, he turned against the administration, speaking out against the One Big Beautiful Bill spending proposal, calling it a "disgusting abomination." Musk's public rebuke marked a notable and apparent departure from the Trump administration's legislative agenda. The Trump-backed reconciliation package passed the House last month following weeks of negotiations in which House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, wrangled votes from the ultraconservative and more centrist factions of the GOP. While Trump praised the measure in its current form, Senate Republicans have made it clear they plan to make significant changes to it before it passes the upper chamber. What to Know NBC News' Meet the Press host Kristen Welker asked Booker, an opponent of Trump's spending bill, if he would accept money from Musk for a potential reelection campaign. He is up for reelection next year. Booker replied: "I will partner with anyone like I did in the last Congress," arguing that the bill is "an American issue. And I welcome Elon Musk, not to my campaign, I welcome him right now, not to sit back and just fire off tweets, to get involved right now in a more substantive way and putting pressure on Congress people and senators to not do this." Welker asked again if Booker would ever accept campaign funding from Musk, Booker said, "I would not accept money from Elon Musk for my campaign, but I would be supportive of anybody, including Elon Musk, putting resources forward right now to let more Americans know" about the bill. Following Musk posts on his social media platform X, formerly Twitter, calling the bill a "massive, outrageous, pork-filled" piece of legislation that is a "disgusting abomination," Representative Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, told Politico that the party should try to welcome Musk. "We should ultimately be trying to convince him that the Democratic Party has more of the values that he agrees with," the congressman said. On Saturday, Trump told NBC News that Musk will face "very serious consequences" if he starts to fund Democrats. He did not specify what actions he could take against Musk. When asked if he has any desire to repair the relationship between the pair, Trump simply said "No," adding that he "would assume" their relationship is over after the very public dispute. Musk posted a series of messages criticizing the bill, Trump and the Republican Party and some of its leaders. At one point, he posted a poll asking followers whether they support the creation of a new political party, dubbed "The America Party." Of the more than 5.6 million users who responded, 80 percent said yes. Senator Cory Booker, a New Jersey Democrat, is seen on May 14 in Washington, D.C. Inset: Elon Musk attends a news conference in the Oval Office of the White House on May 30 in Washington,... Senator Cory Booker, a New Jersey Democrat, is seen on May 14 in Washington, D.C. Inset: Elon Musk attends a news conference in the Oval Office of the White House on May 30 in Washington, D.C. More AP Photo/Evan Vuccifor Student Borrower Protection Center What People Are Saying Representative Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, wrote on Wednesday on X: "The Big Beautiful Bill is a debt bomb ticking. It's also the biggest missed opportunity conservatives have ever had to put our country back on a track of fiscal sanity. If we defeat this bill, a better one can be offered that won't bankrupt our country." White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Newsweek on Thursday: "This is an unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted. The president is focused on passing this historic piece of legislation and making our country great again." Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, told reporters on Tuesday: "I have to agree with [Musk] on one hand. I always love it when Americans are angry at the federal government and express it. I think that should've been happening for years now. I mean, we're $36 trillion in debt for a reason." President Donald Trump posted to Truth Social on Thursday: "I don't mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago. This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress. It's a Record Cut in Expenses, $1.6 Trillion Dollars, and the Biggest Tax Cut ever given. If this Bill doesn't pass, there will be a 68% Tax Increase, and things far worse than that. I didn't create this mess, I'm just here to FIX IT. This puts our Country on a Path of Greatness. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, wrote in a X post on June 3: "Musk is right: this bill IS a 'disgusting abomination.' We shouldn't give $664 billion in tax breaks to the 1%. We shouldn't throw 13.7 million people off of Medicaid. We shouldn't cut $290 billion from programs to feed the hungry. Let's defeat this disgusting abomination." Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, told reporters on Tuesday: "We obviously respect everything that Elon did with DOGE. On this particular issue, we have a difference of entitled to that opinion. We're going to proceed full speed ahead." What Happens Next Trump gave Senate Republicans a July 4 deadline to pass the bill and get it to his desk.
