George Santos to be sentenced Friday in federal fraud case
Disgraced former U.S. Rep. George Santos is set to be sentenced in a New York federal court on Friday after pleading guilty to a series of fraudulent schemes.
Santos, 36, was convicted of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. He faces a sentence of 75 to 87 months imprisonment, including a mandatory minimum two-year sentence for aggravated identity theft.
In a court filing ahead of Friday's sentencing hearing on Long Island, federal prosecutors requested the maximum possible sentence -- amounting to seven years and three months -- calling his conduct a "brazen web of deceit" that defrauded donors and misled voters.
They also argued the former New York congressman's recent "social media blitz" shows he "remains unrepentant for his crimes" in a subsequent filing. In one example, prosecutors pointed to an April 4 post on Santos' X account that stated, "No matter how hard the DOJ comes for me, they are mad because they will NEVER break my spirit." The post was made the same day the DOJ filed its initial sentencing recommendation.
MORE: Prosecutors seek more than 7 years for George Santos in 'brazen web of deceit'
Santos, meanwhile, insisted in a letter to Judge Joanna Seybert this week that he has "accepted full responsibility" for his crimes. He said he can be both "profoundly sorry" and upset by the Justice Department's recommendation of a lengthy prison sentence.
"But saying I'm sorry doesn't require me to sit quietly while these prosecutors try to drop an anvil on my head. True remorse isn't mute; it is aware of itself, and it speaks up when the penalty scale jumps into the absurd," Santos' letter said.
Santos included a selective chart to suggest the government's sentencing recommendation is out of step with other political prosecutions, citing former Illinois Rep. Jesse L. Jackson Jr. being sentenced to 30 months for misusing $750,000 in campaign funds or ex-New York Rep. Michael Grimm being sentenced to eight months for concealing $900,000 in wages and taxes.
Santos has asked for a two-year prison sentence.
Prosecutors alleged Santos, with the help of his former campaign treasurer, Nancy Marks, falsified Federal Election Commission filings, fabricating donor contributions and inflating fundraising totals to meet the $250,000 threshold required to join the National Republican Congressional Committee's coveted "Young Guns" program.
Marks pleaded guilty to a federal conspiracy charge in 2023 and is awaiting sentencing in May.
MORE: George Santos insists he's 'accepted full responsibility' for crimes days before of sentencing
Santos pleaded guilty in August 2024. The Republican was expelled from Congress in December 2023.
As part of his plea deal, he agreed to pay nearly $600,000 in restitution and forfeiture.
The judge agreed to delay Santos' sentencing, which had initially been scheduled for Feb. 7, after Santos asked for more time to make money off of his podcast to satisfy his restitution and forfeiture.
George Santos to be sentenced Friday in federal fraud case originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
43 minutes ago
- Yahoo
🎥 Neymar sent off in possible Santos farewell, silly red card
In what could be his last game for his home club FC Santos, Neymar certainly didn't cover himself in glory and received a truly curious yellow card. Due to injury, it was only his second start since his return in January. This was also over after 76 minutes because the Brazilian scored a goal in the style of the Hand of God. Advertisement The already warned superstar let himself be carried away with this action, but apparently forgot that, unlike Diego Maradona, he would be exposed by about 100 camera angles during his cheating action. Neymar quickly became the laughing stock on the net, instead of the heroic goal scorer of his team. Santos lost the duel against Botafogo 1-0 with a man down and is currently in a relegation spot after eleven matchdays. Since Neymar's contract expires on June 30 and the Brazilian league is on hold due to the Club World Cup until mid-July, this inglorious action could actually have been his last for Santos. The signs are currently pointing to another club change. Advertisement This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here. 📸 Miguel Schincariol - 2025 Getty Images
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Trump Posts Thinly-Veiled Message to Judges on Tariffs
With courts threatening to unravel his global trade war, Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Sunday to send a not-so-subtle signal to the judges standing in his way. The president suggested he expects an appeal to go his way following a week of legal whiplash over his signature economic policy. On Wednesday, a federal trade court struck down his sweeping 'Liberation Day' tariffs on global trade partners, ruling he had overstepped his constitutional authority. But just a day later, an appeals court put that decision on hold while it reviews the case. Trump catastrophized in his post that a court loss would spell economic disaster. 'If the Courts somehow rule against us on Tariffs, which is not expected, that would allow other Countries to hold our Nation hostage with their anti-American Tariffs that they would use against us,' he wrote. 'This would mean the Economic ruination of the United States of America!' The initial ruling came in response to a lawsuit from small businesses that said the tariffs put their operations at existential risk by driving up costs associated with importing goods. The U.S. Court of International Trade sided with the plaintiffs, with the three-judge panel concluding that the 1977 law Trump relied on to impose the tariffs did not give him 'unbounded authority' to do so. Trump and his mouthpieces have characteristically lashed out at the judiciary in response. His White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, on Thursday cast the panel as 'activist judges'—despite the fact that two of the three were appointed by Republican presidents, including one by Trump himself. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has also reaffirmed the administration's intent to push forward with the tariff policy—via other means if necessary—regardless of the legal setback. 'We're going to take that up to higher courts, the president's going to win like he always does. But rest assured, tariffs are not going away,' Lutnick said in an interview on Fox News Sunday. 'He has so many other authorities, that even in the weird and unusual circumstance where this was taken away, we just bring on another or another or another.' Trump has spent months framing his tariffs as a bargaining chip to force overseas trade partners to make new agreements. To date, the administration has finalized only one such agreement—with the United Kingdom—and a separate 90-day truce with China to roll back steep tariffs on both sides. A federal appeals court has set a June 5 deadline for plaintiffs in the trade court case to respond and June 9 for the administration.
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Nassau DA warns of Albany push to approve early parole for violent convicts
The Democratic-run New York state legislature could rush through a series of bills to give convicts early parole and prevent law enforcement from keeping dangerous criminals off the streets, Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly warned Sunday. In recent years, Democrats clawed back controversial cashless bail and discovery laws after serial criminals were let loose, triggering massive political blowback. 'These bills undercut everything we work for every day — building strong cases, securing convictions, and ensuring justice is served,' Donnelly, a Republican up for re-election this fall, told The Post. Advertisement 3 Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly. Brigitte Stelzer 'When prosecutors do the hard work of putting violent offenders behind bars, we should be backed by laws that protect that progress — not laws that allow those same criminals to return to our communities years before their sentences are complete,' added Donnelly, who is holding a press conference Monday announcing her opposition to the bills. Among the bills drawing concern is the Elder Parole bill — which would require inmates aged 55 and older who have served at least 15 years of their sentence to be considered for early release, regardless of the seriousness of the crime committed. Advertisement The measure is sponsored by Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal (D-Manhattan) and Assemblywoman Maritza Davila (D-Brooklyn). Another bill, the Earned Time Act, would make most violent felons eligible for time allowance credits, potentially slashing their prison sentences in half, Donnelly said. The earned time bill is sponsored by Sen. Jeremy Cooney (D-Rochester) and Assemblywoman Anna Kelles (D-Ithaca). 3 Madeline Brame's son, Hason Correa, was murdered in a scuffle outside a Harlem apartment building seven years ago. Steven Hirsch Advertisement A third bill — the Second Look Act — would permit prisoners to petition the courts for a sentence reduction after serving 10 years, including inmates convicted of violent crimes. The legislation is promoted by Sen. Julia Salazar (D-Brooklyn) and Assemblywoman Latrice Walker (D-Brooklyn). GOP Long Island lawmakers oppose the early parole bills, including Assemblyman Edward Ra and Sen. Jack Martins. 3 The New York State Capitol building. Hans Pennink for the NY Post Advertisement Crime victims' advocate Madeline Brame, whose Army Sergeant son Hason Correa was murdered in a scuffle outside a Harlem apartment building seven years ago, expressed outrage at the proposals to give violent cons a break. 'These proposals completely disregard the pain and effort that go into holding criminals accountable,' she said. 'We need to help prosecutors put violent offenders behind bars — not give criminals new ways to get out early.' Gov. Kathy Hochul toyed with early release proposals in April as a way to try to alleviate the prison population amid an illegal prison guard strike and a staffing shortage. She was forced to bring in the National Guard to staff the prisons. She proposed opening eligibility for merit time in the state budget, then backed down after it was revealed doing so could lead to people who were in for violent crimes to be released early. Donnelly was among those who raised the alarm. Inmate advocates have pushed for early parole and other reforms after prisoners were allegedly killed at the hands of guards over the past year.
