Former Rep. George Santos Sentenced to More Than 7 Years in Prison
Former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) was sentenced on April 25 to more than 7 years in federal prison on wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges.
The sentence of 87 months behind bars is what was requested by the Department of Justice.
He was also ordered to pay almost $374,000 and more than $205,000 in restitution and forfeiture, respectively.
Santos, who was charged in 2023, faced a minimum of two years and a maximum of 22 years behind bars.
The former congressman, who represented New York's Third Congressional District,
Santos pleaded guilty in August to committing wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
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'I betrayed the trust of my constituents and supporters. I deeply regret my conduct,' he said upon pleading guilty.
Following the hearing, Santos said he felt he had no choice but to admit wrongdoing.
'Pleading guilty is a step I never imagined I'd take, but it is a necessary one because it is the right thing to do,' Santos told reporters. 'It's not only a recognition of my misrepresentation to others, but more profoundly, it is my own recognition of the lies I told myself over these past years.'
Santos, while running for Congress, filed false reports with the Federal Election Commission that consisted of inflated campaign fundraising numbers in order to qualify for funding and logistical support from the Republican National Committee. His campaign falsely reported that Santos loaned $500,000 to the campaign.
Additionally, Santos charged the credit cards of campaign donors without their permission.
He also took $24,000 in unemployment insurance during the COVID-19 pandemic despite being employed.
Moreover, Santos made false statements to the House of Representatives such as how much he had in assets.
Santos was expelled from Congress on Dec. 1, 2023, following a House Ethics Committee
The report also said that Santos 'continues to flout his statutory financial disclosure obligations and has failed to correct countless errors and omissions in his past FD Statements, despite being repeatedly reminded by the ISC and the Committee of his requirement to do so.'
Santos initially filed to run as an independent to win back his seat in the 2024 election but dropped his campaign.
Even before entering Congress, Santos was subject to controversy, having admitted to allegations about him fabricating parts of his personal and professional life. This included him claiming that he was Jewish—only for him to later say that he is 'Jew-ish.'
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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